Innovation, influence and business in America's medical cities.

Courtesy of deal.org

Over the last several years, nursing homes have become a dumping ground for young and middle-aged people with mental illness, according to an analysisby the Associated Press.

The results? Younger, stronger residents with schizophrenia, depression or bipolar disorder are living beside frail senior citizens and sometimes taking out their rage on them, the AP found.

In 2006, for example, 77-year-old Norbert Konwin died at a nursing home in south Toledo, Ohio, 10 days after authorities said his 62-year-old roommate beat him with a bathroom towel bar, according to the Toledo (Ohio) Blade.

There were nearly 125,000 young and middle-aged people with serious mental illness living in nursing homes last year, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data sent exclusively to the Associated Press. That’s up 41 percent from 2002 when nursing homes housed 89,000 mentally ill people ages 22 to 64.

Several forces are behind the trend, including closure of state mental institutions and ashortage of psychiatric hospital beds. In addition, more nursing home beds are available because senior citizens are leading healthier, more independent lives.

More stories worth a read:

• A remedy for change: Co-president positions could be permanent (Akron Beacon Journal)
• Obama stimulus plan may generate $300M research windfall, UW says(Xconomy Seattle)
• MetroHealth, Cleveland EMS opposition puts regional use of cardiac therapy in doubt (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Beachwood: [University Hospitals] moves toward completion of medical center (WKYC.com)
• Drug industry hopes for FDA split (Los Angeles Times/Associated Press)
• Special gold nanoparticles show promise for ‘cooking’ cancer cells(Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News/EurekaAlert)
• Toledo stalwart raises its profile (Toledo Blade)
• Robinson Memorial [Ravenna, Ohio] receives A3 rating from Moody’s (Crain’s Cleveland Business)
• Are we about to see another burst in buyouts(FierceBiotech)
• Bayer shares soar as FDA panel backs Xarelto(FierceBiotech)
• Primary care is a key issue for healthcare reform (BNET Healthcare)