Grey, Black and Blue 2007
Distributed by Fanlight Productions, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Director n/a
DVD, color, 26 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Health Sciences, Aging
Date Entered: 12/08/2008
Reviewed by Nancy E. Frazier, Instructional Services Librarian, Bucknell UniversityIt’s a frightening scene for anyone to imagine—vulnerable elderly people being abused in long term care facilities. Though we’ve heard shocking media reports of nursing home violence perpetuated by caretakers, there’s another more prevalent cause of elder abuse taking place. The Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) film Grey, Black and Blue presents a disturbing portrait of violence perpetuated by residents against each other in long term care facilities in Ontario, Canada. The film features interviews with a nurse from a long term care facility in Niagara Falls, an attorney in Toronto, and the niece of a resident whose death was ruled a homicide following an assault by another resident at a nursing home. CBC cameras caught some of the violence on tape during their 5 visits to Ontario nursing homes.
Marie is a nurse in charge of 80 nursing home residents during her day shifts and about 150 residents at night. She talked about noticing an increase in violent behavior in the facility, due to the violence of elderly patients with dementia, as well as the placement of younger, stronger schizophrenics in nursing homes instead of specialized mental care facilities. Jane, a Toronto lawyer, stated that psychiatric beds in facilities are limited and some psychiatric patients end up in nursing homes, “the dumping ground” because their beds are cheaper. When asked to comment on CBC tapes revealing violence and slow response time on the part of nursing home staff, Jane said that the behavior is so commonplace in facilities that the attitude becomes one of “it’s just the way it is” in understaffed nursing home units. Penelope, the niece of a nursing home resident whose death was ruled a homicide following an assault by another female resident, told her aunt’s tragic story and recommended that families take careful looks at facilities before placing a relative. Some recommendations are to ask about staffing level, visit at different times of day, and visit different floors of the facility. If there are certain areas of the facility that the staff won’t let you see—reconsider!
Recommended for general audiences, Grey, Black and Blue reveals a frightening reality about the need for greater scrutiny as well as data about the prevalence of nursing home violence and elder abuse.