Suicide Risk In Nursing Home

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When people are born, they require a lot of care. Parents work hard to make sure their children are fed, bathed, and given the attention needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. As adults progress in age, the roles reverse. The elderly rely on their children to care for them as they once cared for their children. With care from personal family members, senior citizens can avoid depression, neglect, and infections that spread throughout nursing homes. As age increases, so does depression. With depression, thoughts of suicide can occur. In an article titled “Suicide Risk in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities”, Briana Mezuk states, “Older adults have the highest suicide risks in the United States; The rate of suicide among men aged …show more content…
Older adults have a lower immune system in comparison to a child. With various types of patients, comes various types of diseases. Some diseases that are easily spread through nursing homes are tuberculosis, M.R.S.A. (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) , and pneumonia. Pneumonia and tuberculosis are spread through the air, but in opposition, M.R.S.A. is spread through contact. Tuberculosis is a dangerous disease that rapidly spreads. In an internet article titled, “Tuberculosis as an endemic and nosocomial infection among the elderly in nursing homes.", William Stead states, “Only 12 percent of 12,196 newly admitted residents were tuberculin positive, as compared with 20.8 percent of the 13,441 residents who were first tested more than a month (mean, 30 months) after admission”(1). With this tuberculosis spreading, how do the residents that are TB negative fend off the infectious diseases? These are not the only infections to watch out for in a nursing home. In an article titled, “Management of four common infections in the nursing home patient.”, Judith O’Donnell and Mary T. Hofmann state, “Common skin and soft tissue infections in nursing home patients include herpes zoster, cellulitis, pressure ulcer infections, and scabies. (1)” Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, are the most common type of infection in a nursing home. These can be caused by prolonged pressure on the skin from immobility in a bed or wheelchair. Pressure ulcers are extremely painful and take a long time to heal. This infection could be prevented if residents were properly attended to. Knowing that this is the most common infection in a nursing home, provides evidence of maltreatment in nursing

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