Abuse In Nursing Home Essay

Choosing a long-term care facility can be very difficult because of incidents of abuse and/or neglect reported against care facilities can be overwhelming. For example in “Ending Elder Abuse: A family guide”, Diane Sandell lists many elder abuse incidents from her files such as: neglect of decubitis ulcers led to infection, sepsis, gangrene, and death. Facility failed to provide necessary diabetic diet; improper insulin administration, insulin overdose; dehydration and death. Resident left alone in chair in shower room fell, became paralyzed from neck down. Many reports of pinching, rough handling, slapping, yelling, threats (2000). It is believed that abuse is most likely to occur if the caregiver not only finds the work difficult but also (1) works full time, (2) cares for young children, (3) is poor, (4) feels little affection for the older person, (5) finds the elderly person very difficult, and (6) gets no support or help from others (Macionis, 2005). Although there is no excuse for abusing elderly Americans, it is still very prominent in today’s society. Diane Sandell explains in Ending Elder Abuse, that her 91 year old mother was beaten by a long-term care facility employee in the middle of the night for reasons unknown. It is stated that her mother died 6 weeks after the incident, unable to recover mentally from the abuse (2000).

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.

Elder Justice Act has made it possible and easy to detect signs of elder abuse by creating programs to assist and aid older victims of abuse, and prosecute abusers. California has passed laws making elder abuse a civil liability, and violation of the laws will subject the perpetrator to criminal liability (Stimmel Law, n.d.). According to California Advocates For Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) (2017), criminal elder abuse “occurs where any person who knows that a person is an elder and willfully causes or permits that elder to suffer, or inflicts unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering on the elder. It also covers situations where a person willfully causes or permits an elder to be placed in a situation in which elder’s health is endangered” (para, 1). While civil elder abuse refers to intend physical abuse, isolation, abduction, abandonment, financial abuse, or any type of elder mistreatment resulting in physical harm, pain or mental suffering of an older adult (CANHR, 2017). The State of California Department of Justice is composed of three programs designed to prosecute elder abuse. First, is the Violent Crime Unit, this unit investigates and prosecutes physical elder abuse committed by individual employees against patients in elder care facilities (The State of California Department of Justice, n.d.). Second, the Facilities Enforcement Team, the team investigates and prosecutes

Is it worth putting your loved ones in a nursing home facility? According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Each year, hundreds of thousands of adults over the age of 60 are abused, neglected, or financially exploited.” Family members of an elderly person might assume that because they are paying such a large amount of money for assistance and a room in the facility, that they’re getting the best treatment and care for their relative. Although one might believe their loved ones would be better off in a nursing home, they might be putting them at a greater risk of abuse due to understaffing, lack of training within the staff, neglect, nurse burnout, and low wages. 2,150,000 cases

Over all, there are many types of abuse, from physical abuse to rough living conditions, that elderly and nursing home residents experience quite often.

Do you have a loved one in a nursing home? Imagine if your grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, mom, dad or other loved one was being abused. How would this make you feel? Abuse does not necessarily mean physical abuse (hitting, scratching, pulling hair, etc.). Other types of abuse include sexual, neglect, exploitation, emotional, abandonment, and self-neglect.

With over 1.5 million elderly and dependent adults now living in nursing homes throughout the country, abuse and neglect has become a widespread problem. Even though some nursing homes provide good care, many are subjecting helpless residents to needless suffering and death. Most residents in nursing homes are dependent on the staff for most or all their needs such as food, water, medicine, toileting, grooming- almost all their daily care. Unfortunately, many residents in nursing homes today are starved, dehydrated, over-medicated, and suffer painful pressure sores. They are often isolated, ignored and deprived of social contact and stimulation. Because of insufficient and poorly trained staff commonly found in

As the healthcare system in this country has changed, so have traditional nursing homes. Families have the right to expect that their loved ones will be taken care of by professionals in a caring environment. Unfortunately, may people are being abused and neglected in nursing homes. It is very clear that abuse is a serious problem among nursing home patients, and something needs to be done to put a stop to it.

anything from insufficient protection and fire hazards, to poor food storage and preparation, to inadequate staffing hours. More distrubingly, “20% of nursing homes abused, neglected, or mistreated residents in almost half of all states for the second consecutive year, says the report card.” Fox, Stevenson (2014).

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.

With so many elderly people in nursing homes combined with the lack of nursing care available, abuse within nursing homes is more common than anyone would like to face. According to the CDC, as of 2014, there were only 15,600 nursing homes with the number of residents exceeding 1.4 million. They also report that for every case of elder abuse there are 23 cases that are not reported or that remain hidden from authorities. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/elderabuse/consequences.html

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,

Elderly abuse in nursing homes in America is an uprising issue. Elders make up a large portion of our population and they deserve the equality. This issue is very important because eventually this could affect you personally, or a loved one in your family. I stand for better environments in these nursing homes and find it terrible that elders get treated so poorly. The reason the number of reports on elder abuse has gone up so rapidly in the past decade is because the number of elders has drastically risen. There is an increase in the number of elders not only because Americans are living longer than ever before, but also because the next generation of senior citizens is larger than ever before. It has been predicted

Who is at risk? What are the signs of elder abuse? A 2017 study found that over the course of a year, 15.7% of adults over the age of 60 experienced some form of abuse (Yon et al.). Although this is likely underestimated, 15.7% (or 1 in 6) individuals over the age of 60 experiencing abuse is a staggering statistic. Furthermore, The World Health Organization states that 40% of nursing home staff members admitted to psychologically abusing patients, and 10% admitted to physically abusing a patient (“Elder Abuse Fact Sheet”). There are several risk factors for being a victim of elder abuse. The National Center on Elder Abuse says that individuals that are dependent on others to survive, individuals with dementia, women, low-income individuals, and individuals in larger households were all more likely to experience one or more types of elder abuse (“Statistics/Data”). This is not to say that everyone in one of those categories is being abused, but recognizing that these groups are at risk can help is identifying elder abuse. Identifying elder abuse can be difficult depending on the type of abuse. The National Institute on Aging states that abused elders may have trouble sleeping, become depressed, confused, agitated, or violent, become withdrawn and stop participating in activities they normally enjoy, have unexplained bruises or scars, or have an unkempt or messy appearance (“Elder

You/your family member has to be over the age of 60 and has to be dependant on the people whom are taking care of you/your family member. It might seem almost impossible at first until you find the right person and place to help you. That person might be a family member, a good friend, your doctor or a really good lawyer. Most of the elders would go to their doctor or the lawyer because they both have a degrees in helping people. If you yourself is not getting abused but you know an elder who is you can report it to one of these helplines, for the US 1-800-677-1116, UK 080 8808 8141, Australia 1300 651 192, South Africa 0800 333 231, and Canada 310 1818. You could also visit Alberta Elder Abuse for local resources. Some people think that if they try to report it it would come back on them, but honestly they would take them/you out of the home and put you in a special place until the nursing home is either sued or gets better employees to take care of the other residents. The services that they provide is resources in the community in stopping it like counseling and legal services. One of the best ideas would be getting a lawyer and suing whom ever did it to you or your loved one. If the nursing home doesn’t provide the needed things for an elder they can and will get sued for withholding care and the nursing home can and more than