STOP THE ABUSE IN ILLINOIS NURSING HOMES!!!

Young people are put in nursing homes where they are treated for mental/emotional health conditions. At my first nursing home, many of these treatments were nonspecific to my needs and did more harm than good. In addition, patients are neglected by staff, sometimes sexually abused, and often verbally abused by staff and by other residents.

I personally have been sexually abused by CNAs at one of the three nursing homes I have resided at during the past 2 1/2 years; the case went all the way to state DCF, but I was too afraid to talk to them about the issue - therefore my abusers were never punished. I was told that was the best nursing home in the state - if I went anywhere else things would be worse.

Another resident at the nursing home where I currently live is often provoked by staff until she needs a shot. This person does not harm people who respectfully treat her like she is another person.

A resident was verbally abused by another resident at another nursing home because of what race she was. Verbal abuse is often threatening and is very traumatizing.

A friend of mine who needs help when she takes a shower stated that when she takes her shower, the CNAs are very rough with her to the point that the situation borders on assault.

A resident saw bedbugs in and near her bed. She showed them to the nurse on duty - and was met with the response "Ew get it away from me!" The resident showed her sores to a trusted counselor and told about seeing bedbugs. The trusted counselor contacted the home about the issue to try to end the bedbug problem. Afterward, the resident was reprimanded by a group of nursing home staff and was told "You never should have said that because we could get in big trouble!" The resident saw another bedbug and had new sores after she was reprimanded; two days later the exterminators were finally called and the issue was delt with. This situation would never have been resolved without the advocacy of an outside trusted counselor.

Another friend of mine told me her social worker at her nursing home is not approachable. My friend reported the situation to an outside counselor who then reported the situation to state DCF. The unapproachable social worker was found by the state to be both neglectful and abusive.

Solution:

A. Give ALL nursing home residents outside trusted counselors.

B. Programs both outside of the nursing homes and within the nursing homes - these programs should be specific to what we need. (groups about how to manage things like depression, anger, substance abuse, mania, anxiety, ect.)

C. APPROACHABLE social workers in the nursing homes where we live.

D. Expand moving out programs and discharge planning.

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