BALTIMORE, March 23 -- Young and middle-aged people with serious mental illnesses are increasingly being housed in nursing homes alongside elderly residents, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data show.
Nationally, the number of mentally ill individuals placed in nursing homes increased 41% from 2002 to 2008, according to data obtained by the Associated Press under a Freedom of Information Act request.
Some states, including Nevada, Utah, and Missouri, had increases of 75% or more.
About 125,000 mentally ill people are now living in long-term care facilities, 9% of the total nursing home population, according to the CMS data.
The closure of state-operated mental institutions in most states and rising vacancy rates in nursing homes have combined to make these facilities attractive as housing for the mentally ill.
As long as the mentally ill population in a given facility remains under 50%, Medicaid will pay to house individuals with chronic psychiatric disorders there regardless of age.
The AP report cited a series of crimes -- including murder, rape, and arson -- committed by younger mentally ill individuals with histories of violent behavior against elderly residents.
These incidents, on top of the CMS data, indicated that nursing homes have become "dumping grounds" for the mentally ill, the report said.
A spokeswoman for a nursing home trade group, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, told the AP that nursing homes face legal difficulties in removing residents once they are admitted.
"Many times, the nursing home's only option becomes dialing 911," the spokeswoman said.
She had no additional comment when contacted by ľֱ.
Officials at the American Health Care Association, another group representing long-term care facilities, did not respond immediately to a request for comment.