BOSTON: Suicide risk amongst residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities is “substantial,” according to a new study.
Researchers studied suicide statistics from 2003 to 2011 and found that around 3% of suicides amongst adults 50 and older during that time were related to long-term care in some way, including 51 deaths that occurred in a single facility. The data also indicated that 38 people who had committed suicide between 2003 and 2011 were anticipating being moved into a long-term care facility, and five had recently been discharged.
The study also found that facilities where a resident suicide had taken place had higher proportions of residents with elevated depressive symptoms. Researchers cited the high prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation in long-term facilities as a factor, and noted that depression is more commonly diagnosed amongst new nursing home residents than is dementia…