[Scream of 255 Nurses] Over 90% Experience Harassment from Dementia Patients. The Phrase "It's Due to Their Illness" Becomes a Barrier Justifying Violence and Verbal Abuse on Site.
A survey conducted by Carecom Co., Ltd. targeting 255 nurses revealed that over 90% have experienced harassment from dementia patients. It became clear that the situation is severe, with 100% reporting psychological distress and over 50% physical injury. Organizational pressure to tacitly approve victims and the phrase "it's due to their illness" are hindering problem-solving.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 02:27
- 🔍 Collected: May 1, 2026 at 18:02
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 18:22 (20 min after Collected)
Carecom Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, hereinafter Carecom), which is committed to improving communication environments in medical and nursing care settings, conducted a "Survey on the Actual Conditions of Customer Harassment (hereinafter, 'Cus-Hara') from Dementia Patients" targeting 255 nurses and assistant nurses, based on its owned media "Care no Aruaru Chiebukuro Site" (HP: https://aruaru.online/).
In 2026, as society as a whole strengthens measures against Cus-Hara, in medical settings, approximately 93% of respondents have experienced harassment from dementia patients. Many of them are forced to tacitly approve the harm due to organizational pressure that says, "It's unavoidable because of their illness." This report presents the stark struggles of frontline nurses, along with serious data indicating 100% psychological distress, over 50% experience of actual harm, and over 60% decline in job motivation.
**Key Findings of the Survey**
1. **Normalization of Violence, Verbal Abuse, and Sexual Harassment: 1 in 2 Suffer "Several Times a Week or More"**
Among nurses who have experienced harassment from dementia patients, over half, 54.6%, suffer abuse with high frequency, "almost daily" or "several times a week."
* **Experienced Content (multiple answers):** Violence (88.2%), Verbal Abuse (83.2%), Sexual Harassment (56.7%), Ignoring/Rejection (49.6%), Excessive Demands (complaints, etc.) (44.1%).
This is not merely temporary confusion, but rather physical and psychological attacks persistently repeated against specific staff members, which have become normalized.
2. **Severity of "Physical and Psychological Damage": 100% Psychological Stress**
As an impact of the harm, all respondents (100%) cited "psychological stress." Furthermore, 52.5% experienced "actual harm requiring hospital visits or treatment (physical injury)."
The feeling of powerlessness, "even if there is actual harm leaving pain or marks, all we can do is record it," leads to a 62.2% "decline in job motivation," becoming a decisive factor in leaving the nursing profession itself.
3. **"Secondary Victimization" by Organizations: "Your Response Was Poor" Even After Reporting**
When subjected to harm, 28.6% responded "did nothing." The most common reason for this was resignation, "it's unavoidable because of dementia (85.3%)." However, free-text responses frequently cited complaints like, "Even after reporting to my superior, I was conversely criticized for poor handling (secondary victimization) (20.6%)." This highlights the reality that organizations maintain the workplace by relying on the "patience" of their staff, rather than protecting them.
**Nurses' Struggles and Serious Current Situation from Free-Text Responses (Details)**
Responses from 236 individuals (those who reported having experienced harassment) revealed the raw voices of nurses torn between existing medical ethics and the reality of violence.
① **The "Curse" of "It's Unavoidable Because of Dementia"**
"Violence that would be a police matter outside the hospital is dismissed inside the hospital with a single phrase: 'It's a symptom of their illness.' It has become an extraterritorial zone where assault is permitted. (30s, Hospital worker)"
"'Just because someone has dementia doesn't mean they can say or do anything.' Nurses are human beings too, and their hearts and bodies get hurt. I want that not to be overlooked. (40s, Visiting nurse)"
② **Distrust of Organizations/Management and Secondary Victimization**
"When I consult my superior about violence, it's most painful to be treated as if the victim is at fault, with comments like, 'Perhaps your words or attitude agitated the patient?' (30s, Clinic)"
"Managers aren't on the front lines, so they don't understand the seriousness of the situation. I feel despair when it's just processed as 'a troublesome incident.' (40s, Nursing home)"
"Perhaps because doctors don't experience the harm, they are reluctant to adjust medication or consider transferring patients. It feels like they think everything can be resolved if nurses just endure it. (50s, Hospital worker)"
③ **Torn Between Ethics and Personal Safety**
"We are taught that restraint is bad, but without it, nurses cannot protect themselves. If we try to stop a patient from pulling out a life-threatening IV, we get hit. No one tells us what the right answer is. (20s, Hospital worker)"
"Utilizing the spirit of 'for this person' to make nurses endure harassment is the current standard in nursing. If this continues, young staff will quickly leave. (50s, Hospital worker)"
④ **Urgent Requests to Society and Families**
"Families leave patients at the hospital and don't visit. Yet, if anything happens, they threaten us. There's absolutely no respect for healthcare professionals. (40s, Hospital worker)"
"Every time I see news of a celebrity's assault on a nurse not being prosecuted, I feel the low status of this profession. Unless there's a legal system to protect us, the number of inactive nurses will continue to grow. (30s, Freelancer)"
**Conclusion**
Through this survey, the reality has been brought to light that nurses in dementia patient care settings face an extremely difficult dilemma: "devotion to patients" versus "ensuring their own safety."
In 2026, as society as a whole strengthens measures against Cus-Hara, in medical settings, approximately 93% of respondents have experienced harassment from dementia patients. Many of them are forced to tacitly approve the harm due to organizational pressure that says, "It's unavoidable because of their illness." This report presents the stark struggles of frontline nurses, along with serious data indicating 100% psychological distress, over 50% experience of actual harm, and over 60% decline in job motivation.
**Key Findings of the Survey**
1. **Normalization of Violence, Verbal Abuse, and Sexual Harassment: 1 in 2 Suffer "Several Times a Week or More"**
Among nurses who have experienced harassment from dementia patients, over half, 54.6%, suffer abuse with high frequency, "almost daily" or "several times a week."
* **Experienced Content (multiple answers):** Violence (88.2%), Verbal Abuse (83.2%), Sexual Harassment (56.7%), Ignoring/Rejection (49.6%), Excessive Demands (complaints, etc.) (44.1%).
This is not merely temporary confusion, but rather physical and psychological attacks persistently repeated against specific staff members, which have become normalized.
2. **Severity of "Physical and Psychological Damage": 100% Psychological Stress**
As an impact of the harm, all respondents (100%) cited "psychological stress." Furthermore, 52.5% experienced "actual harm requiring hospital visits or treatment (physical injury)."
The feeling of powerlessness, "even if there is actual harm leaving pain or marks, all we can do is record it," leads to a 62.2% "decline in job motivation," becoming a decisive factor in leaving the nursing profession itself.
3. **"Secondary Victimization" by Organizations: "Your Response Was Poor" Even After Reporting**
When subjected to harm, 28.6% responded "did nothing." The most common reason for this was resignation, "it's unavoidable because of dementia (85.3%)." However, free-text responses frequently cited complaints like, "Even after reporting to my superior, I was conversely criticized for poor handling (secondary victimization) (20.6%)." This highlights the reality that organizations maintain the workplace by relying on the "patience" of their staff, rather than protecting them.
**Nurses' Struggles and Serious Current Situation from Free-Text Responses (Details)**
Responses from 236 individuals (those who reported having experienced harassment) revealed the raw voices of nurses torn between existing medical ethics and the reality of violence.
① **The "Curse" of "It's Unavoidable Because of Dementia"**
"Violence that would be a police matter outside the hospital is dismissed inside the hospital with a single phrase: 'It's a symptom of their illness.' It has become an extraterritorial zone where assault is permitted. (30s, Hospital worker)"
"'Just because someone has dementia doesn't mean they can say or do anything.' Nurses are human beings too, and their hearts and bodies get hurt. I want that not to be overlooked. (40s, Visiting nurse)"
② **Distrust of Organizations/Management and Secondary Victimization**
"When I consult my superior about violence, it's most painful to be treated as if the victim is at fault, with comments like, 'Perhaps your words or attitude agitated the patient?' (30s, Clinic)"
"Managers aren't on the front lines, so they don't understand the seriousness of the situation. I feel despair when it's just processed as 'a troublesome incident.' (40s, Nursing home)"
"Perhaps because doctors don't experience the harm, they are reluctant to adjust medication or consider transferring patients. It feels like they think everything can be resolved if nurses just endure it. (50s, Hospital worker)"
③ **Torn Between Ethics and Personal Safety**
"We are taught that restraint is bad, but without it, nurses cannot protect themselves. If we try to stop a patient from pulling out a life-threatening IV, we get hit. No one tells us what the right answer is. (20s, Hospital worker)"
"Utilizing the spirit of 'for this person' to make nurses endure harassment is the current standard in nursing. If this continues, young staff will quickly leave. (50s, Hospital worker)"
④ **Urgent Requests to Society and Families**
"Families leave patients at the hospital and don't visit. Yet, if anything happens, they threaten us. There's absolutely no respect for healthcare professionals. (40s, Hospital worker)"
"Every time I see news of a celebrity's assault on a nurse not being prosecuted, I feel the low status of this profession. Unless there's a legal system to protect us, the number of inactive nurses will continue to grow. (30s, Freelancer)"
**Conclusion**
Through this survey, the reality has been brought to light that nurses in dementia patient care settings face an extremely difficult dilemma: "devotion to patients" versus "ensuring their own safety."