Granny dumping is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "the abandonment of an elderly person in a public place such as a hospital or nursing home, especially by a relative".
[1] It may be carried out by family members who are unable or unwilling to continue providing care due to financial problems, burnout, lack of resources (such as home health or assisted living options), or stress.
[4] A practice known as ubasute, existed in Japanese mythology since centuries ago, involving of legends senile elders who were brought to mountaintops by poor citizens who were unable to look after them.
[6] In this same study, ACEP received informal surveys from 169 hospital Emergency Departments and report an average of 8 "granny dumping" abandonments per week.
Needing a break, or wishing to go on a holiday, the normal caregivers will take their elderly patient to a hospital emergency room, or possibly a hotel, and then leave, with the plan to return once the vacation is over.
[10][11] In Poland, the practice of dumping elderly persons before Christmas or Easter is known among emergency and ambulance personnel as Babka Świąteczna, i.e. Holiday Granny, the phrase also meaning 'Holiday pie'.
However, the expense of providing emergency or long-term care to an abandoned elderly person can represent a considerable burden on a facility's budget, capacity, and manpower.
This has led to institutional granny-dumping, where a hospital or nursing facility likewise abandon the elderly person to avoid the expense of their care.
[14] Another form of institutional granny dumping may occur when a nursing home closes, and staff abandon residents in the facility, or leave them in hotels, homeless shelters, or similar.