Resident-resident elder mistreatment (RREM) study

Researchers found a one-month condition of all RREM types of 20% in a large-scale resident-resident elder mistreatment (RREM) study. The researchers studied a sample of 2,011 residents from 10 facilities in New York. The study found verbal aggression to be most common at 9%, physical aggression at 5%, other forms of mistreatment at 5%, and sexual mistreatment at 0.6%.

Consequences of RREM include physical injury, psychological distress, and increased staff burnout. To work against this, nursing homes should consider implementing targeted interventions for the residents who struggle with mild cognitive impairment and behavioral symptoms and those residing in special care units for dementia. Ensuring safe staffing levels will allow personalized strategies to focus on resident care.

The study’s lead author is Karl Pillemer, the Hazel E. Reed Professor of Psychology in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology (CHE) and professor of gerontology medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. He says:

“Interpersonal aggression is common in assisted living facilities, and staff are inadequately trained to deal with it. Residents are vulnerable to psychological distress and physical injury from other residents, and that’s something we need to take very seriously.”