These nursing home care facilities include resident-oriented and task-oriented care. Resident-oriented care includes the ongoing development of relationships among the caretakers and patients. Residents are treated like family rather than as patients. This type of care has proven to cater more to the residence needs both medically and emotionally. The other type of care offered in nursing homes includes that of task-oriented care, which consists of nurses assigned to specific tasks throughout the day for various residents. This type of care lacks the essential ability to build relationships between the residents and the care providers. Regrettably, this can lead to neglect and abuse as well. With so many residents to attend to and so little time, care providers may find themselves rushing the patients and/or neglecting the patients in order to complete the everyday tasks thoroughly.

Neglect and abuse within nursing home facilities has become an increasing problem within the United States today. Abuse within nursing homes can include but may not be limited to assault and battery, sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement, and over medicating the residents. Neglect can include but may not be limited to infections, which have been unattended, malnutrition, dehydration, failure to assist with personal hygiene, and leaving residents in an unclean living space. Unfortunately, because of the resident’s vulnerability, neglect and abuse can cause increased medical problems as well as fatality. The overflow of residents and the inability to hire skilled professionals to care for them is responsible for the neglect and abuse of patients residing within nursing care facilities. Hospitals and care facilities need skilled professionals such as registered nurses and licensed nurses. Unfortunately, because of such a high demand and such a small population of qualified registered nurses, these professionals are spread way to thin across these types of care facilities.