Preventing abuse in nursing homes

Every nursing home resident deserves to retain their basic human dignity and to be treated with respect at all times. Abuse and neglect are never acceptable. This website includes information to alert you about abuse or neglect in nursing homes. When you browse facilities, you'll see this icon by facilities that have been recently cited for resident harm or potential harm for abuse or neglect.

Abuse is defined as the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish. It includes verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse.

If you feel that you, or someone you know, has been abused, please contact your state survey agency. If there is an emergency, including a suspected crime, you should call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

Abuse or neglect can happen at any time, and we encourage you to review on this site, and gather other information to obtain a comprehensive view of a nursing home's quality. For example, you can review inspection reports to see what types of citations have occurred in a nursing home, then talk to the facility about their concerns and learn what actions they have taken to address the issue. You can also reach out to their Long-Term Care Ombudsman if you have concerns or questions about Medicare beneficiary rights and protections.