Nearly 40 percent of residents in aged care facilities have been abused, data released by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has revealed. 

The data was calculated using responses to a survey of 391 aged care residents in 67 homes. Questions were related to their quality of life, level of cares and concerns or complaints about the facility where they lived.

From the responses received, the Royal Commission inferred that :

• 31% of respondents experienced neglect
• 5% reported having been physically abused, which included people being roughly treated by staff, restrained, or not being allowed out of their bed, chair or room
• 23% of residents experienced emotional or psychological abuse, including feeling like they were being treated like children, being shouted at, or not having their concerns listened to

Over 200,000 Australians currently live in aged care facilities, which means more than 10,000 elderly people could be subject to physical abuse.

Commenting on the study, Joe Ibrahim, Head of the Health, Law and Ageing Research Unit at Monash University said that regulators and the Government must do more to set standards that address these widespread issues.

ABC News: Almost 40 per cent of residents in aged care facilities have been abused, data released by royal commission shows