Mistreatment among residents prevalent.

• Position: Nursing Homes

Resident-to-resident elder mistreatment affects nearly 20% of residents. Inappropriate, disruptive, or hostile behavior among nursing home residents is a sizable and growing problem, according to research from Weill Cornell Medical College, New York.

The study found that nearly one in five nursing home residents was involved in at least one negative and aggressive encounter with one or more fellow residents over the previous four weeks. These included acts of verbal or physical abuse, inappropriate sexual behavior, or invasion of privacy, among other incidents.

"This is the first study to directly observe and interview residents to determine the prevalence and predictors of elder mistreatment among residents in nursing homes," says Karl Pillemer, professor of gerontology in medicine at Weill Cornell and the Department of Human Development at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

"The findings suggest that these altercations are widespread and common in everyday nursing home life. Despite the acute urgency of the problem, resident-to-resident mistreatment is underreported. Increased awareness and the adoption of effective interventions are greatly needed."

Over the past two decades, researchers, policymakers, and the public increasingly have become concerned with the problem of...