APS Program Administrator: A Hoarding Case

.Adult Protection Services is an evolving agency that provide services to many people. Adult Protective Services is a state ran agency, and is required to offer services to the elderly population. At the agency, clients are referral from several different issues. Our agency investigated claims of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elder or disabled citizens. The greatest social issue that face many Adult Protective Services caseworkers, is physical and self-neglect. A lot of the elderly population face many challenges throughout their later life. “Old age in American society presents the individual with a variety of potential problems and stresses, most of which are in the category of social, economic, and personal losses”(Ruiz, 1985,

There for it is important to identify that it is mostly actions of other which may resolve in to improving/ sustaining our mental health or the opposite( too much letting down may resolve in not trusting people or lack of self-esteem)

Mental health is essential to overall health as well as efficiency. It is the foundation for thriving contributions to family, district, and culture. All through the lifespan, mental health is the source of thoughts and communication skills, knowledge, pliability, and self-esteem. It is all too easy to dismiss the worth of mental health until troubles emerges (Brager, G. & Holloway, S., 1978). Mental health troubles and illnesses are factual and disabling conditions that are experienced by one in five Americans. Those who do not get treatment, mental illnesses can consequence in disability and desolation for families, schools, societies, and the workplace.

The issue of elder abuse and neglect is a significant health care issue, that need to be brought to the attention of society. Seniors who stay at home or in nursing homes are at more risk. Nurses should be aware of the signs and symptoms as well as resources in the community. By having a better understanding of these issues, nurses can recognize problems and help prevent the devastating effects of elderly abuse.

Abuse and neglect can happen in ways that people surrounding may not be aware. This could be in the instance of a carer neglecting the service user by manual handling them roughly and

The Mental Health Services Act is a monumental proposition that has helped many people for more than a decade. In California alone, close to 1.2 million adults and around 422,000 children live with a serious mental illness (State 2010). Without the proper treatment, suicide is the leading cause of death for a person battling an untreated mental illness (State 2010). With over thirteen billion dollars raised so far, MHSA has been the root of funding for mental health in California (Williams 2015). MHSA is still a work in progress. The act is nowhere near perfect, as a recent audit has shown, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.

Self-neglect/Neglect is when a person/carer does not pay attention to their/service users health and well-being. Service users/Carers can neglect themselves/Service users due to illness or depression or might intentionally neglect themselves/service users. The signs and symptoms include: living in dirty conditions, poor personal hygiene, poor nutrition, not getting medical help, not being interested in the way they look, long toe nails not taking medication.

Too often seniors refuse to report abuse, neglect, or crime against them out of fear of losing independence. It is a common misconception that being victimized will deem you unfit to live independently and will result in being placed in a facility of some sort. It is important that seniors feel they can turn to those around them with concerns and incidents that occur. In the event that a senior is not forthcoming with information there are a number of avenues that may involve reporting of suspected incidents. Hospitals, doctors, community service organizations, and long term care facilities can report suspected crimes to authorities or Department of Social Services in an effort to protect the individual. If a senior cannot properly protect themselves then health care professionals from all areas should have the ability to act on behalf of the individual to seek help but not dictate the overall outcome as a result. For example: simply finding that a person has been a victim of exploitation should not mean that a person be moved immediately into a facility forfeiting their right to care for themselves. All facilities acting to protect a senior should aim to preserve senior

There are 5 components of the Mental Health Services Act. The first, community services and support is set up to focus on the community and their well being while providing their services to the mentally ill. The second, prevention and early intervention allow MHSA to give their service to people to promote wellness in a community, to foster health to those in need, and to prevent suffering from untreated mental illness. Innovation is the third component which bumps up the quality of service MHSA gives and can even provide service to people that don’t deserve the help.

Neglect by others – not providing adequate care for person who can’t take care of themselves

Self-neglect in the elderly is an important public health issue. It occurs more frequently than any other form of abuse or neglect and is expected to become even more prevalent as baby boomers retire and government appointed resources for the elderly decrease (MacLeod & Douthit, 2015). Elder self-neglect is a social justice issue that involves internal factors such as the health of the older adult and external factors such as access to necessary resources. For nurses to become a part of preventing

Signs and symptoms of neglect by others: Dirty or unkempt appearance. Not assisting with personal hygiene. Malnutrition not providing food fluids and warmth. Deteriorating health. Unexplained weight loss. Not giving individual prescribed medication. Not respecting the individuals privacy and dignity

Some of the reasons for this may be fear of increased abuse or even simply believing that reporting will not change the situation. Professionals have the dilemma whether or not to say anything because of ignorance of how or what to report which prolongs the neglect and abuse (Brandl et al., 2006). As a healthcare professional, you are mandated to report any abuse you witness. Sadly, elder abuse is a crime that is underreported, and understudied that impact millions of elders (McClennen, J.C.,2010). Seeing firsthand what goes on in a long-term care facility where many of the elderly are virtually helpless, opened my eyes to how immense this issue is in our Country. I realized that if things go unnoticed in care facilities, they will be ignored in domestic setting, assisted living facilities and anywhere else for that matter. There has to be some kind of solution to this

Are nursing homes abusing and neglecting the elderly? The elderly are abused and neglected in society today by caregivers in nursing homes. Elder abuse or neglect is a single or repeated action occurring within any relationship where there is an overlook of trust which causes injury or distress to an older person.

To better understand the scope of the problem, it is crucial that society knows what is considered as elder abuse and why it is important to resolve this issue. Elder abuse refers to any intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. There are many forms in which an elder can be abused, “Elder Abuse and Neglect” Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services distinguishes between the five most common types of elder abuse as well as their effects and/or common signs and symptoms for each. These types of abuse include physical abuse,