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Infections Infections are a common cause of death in nursing homes. Every year between 1.5 million and 3.5 million nursing home residents contract an infection. STI’s are further spread due to the embarrassment seniors face discussing sexual issues with their family physician.
The longer someone is alive, the more chance they have of getting a health condition that can weaken their immune system and make them more vulnerable to STDs. Furthermore, postmenopausal women often suffer from thinning vaginal tissues and dryness. During sex, these thinning tissues are susceptible to microabrasions that allow an infection to enter their body.
Senior Citizen STD Statistics
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Also, residents with mental or physical disabilities may not be able to recount their experience and tell the authorities. Below, the Nursing Home Abuse Justice team has compiled four important statistics on sexual abuse in nursing homes to help families understand this problem. Regardless of how much we want to dismiss thoughts of our parents and grandparents engaging in sexual activity of any kind, it happens…more frequently than you may even imagine. Growing numbers of cases involving STDs plague nursing homes and assisted living communities, for a variety of reasons. STDs among nursing home residents can be a sign of sexual abuse. Sexual contact that is forced, tricked, threatened, or otherwise coerced upon an elder, including anyone who is unable to grant consent may be considered sexual abuse.
Important Nursing Home Statistics For 2022 & Beyond
Our San Antonio nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys have been fighting for the rights of the injured elderly people for over 25 years. We’ll outline some signs to look for and more information that you can share with elderly family members. Finally, it’s important to know that sexual abuse is just one of the many ways that nursing home residents can suffer. Get other important statistics on nursing home abuse to learn more. Residents with mental illnesses like Alzheimer’s are also at a high risk of sexual abuse because of their impaired memory and communication skills.
We receive compensation from the providers of the services and products featured on this website. •Many doctors don't think to test seniors for STDs as a standard examination protocol. Corbis via Getty ImagesIt would seem retirement homes might not be such dull places after all. I had such a difficult time finding someone to look into my case.
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Healthcare clinics often have free condoms available for patients. Likewise, nursing homes should make condoms available to the residents and ensure they know how to use them properly to help reduce STD rates in seniors. From 2013 to 2016, more than 1,000 nursing homes in the U.S. were cited for sexual abuse. A 2017 CNN report found that nearly 100 of these facilities received multiple citations. Unwanted romantic or sexual conduct may be considered sexual abuse. Seniors living in nursing homes are more vulnerable to sexual abuse because they may be living with physical or mental disabilities.
Older adults contracting STIs in a care facility should be a major warning flag that something is wrong. Female and male residents can contract sexually transmitted diseases from consensual sex. Women and patients with cognitive issues are the most vulnerable to abuse. They may not know what’s happening to them, or they may be manipulated into thinking that the abuse never happened. Older people may be embarrassed to have sexual issues or STDs at this late stage in life and therefore avoid seeing health care providers for testing and treatment. When this happens, they’re likely to pass their infections on to other people if they remain sexually active.
With older populations having gone through menopause and andropause the use of preventative measures such as condoms notably decreases. Additionally, the study implies that with the increase of STIs among older populations, even more malicious disease such as HIV become an increased risk as well. The most common warning sign of sexual abuse in seniors is bruising around the intimate areas of their body, such as breasts and genitals.
Of course, if a loved one has contracted an STD or any other disease as a result of nursing home negligence, we ask that you contact an attorney today. The Florida attorneys at the Millhorn Elder Law Planning Group can help ensure you are compensated for any harms suffered by your loved one. Information for the STD chart above was compiled and edited for content from The STD Project, STD List by Categoryand BeforePlay.org, Avoid STDs, not the conversation. The following chart highlights various types of STDs including bacterial, viral, and parastic STDs. One of the reasons many people don't know they're infected is that many STDs don't have any symptoms.
Young people use condoms for both disease control and pregnancy prevention. The older population mainly used them for only contraception when they were young. Venereal diseases weren’t common among the general population in their youth, so many don’t think to use condoms with sexual partners in later life.
With longer lifespans and divorce more popular, older people date more often and may not know the sexual history of a new partner. Many senior living communities have rules about fraternization between the residents. Some have adopted policies that allow sex between consenting residents. No matter which kind of policy they have, senior care centers have a duty to protect seniors from sexual abuse and prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Seniors with memory issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s may not even understand the concept of consent. Nursing Home Abuse Justice was founded to shine a light on nursing home and elder abuse.
Sadly, the CDC reported that 47.8% of nursing home residents had some form of Alzheimer’s disease as of 2016. According to the Administration for Community Living , there were over 20,000 complaints of sexual abuse in nursing homes over the past 20 years. This means that every day, about three people in nursing homes are sexually abused. Sexual abuse in nursing homes is rare, but it can be extremely damaging, both physically and mentally. Sexual abuse in nursing homes may be committed by anyone — staff, other residents, or even criminals who enter the facility illegally.
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