Elder Abuse And Neglect

Elder abuse is wide spread. Surprisingly, elder abuse was first described in research articles in the 1970s. Its severity and rates of occurrence continue to increase. Acierno et al. (2010) conducted a national telephone interview survey of randomly selected adults from several geographical areas who were at least 60 years old. Average age of respondents was 71.5 years. Most of the abused were women (39.8%). Over 68% were married or cohabitating. Most were white (87.5%). Eighty percent were unemployed or retired, 45.7% had low incomes and 62% had endured at least one traumatic event. Almost half needed some type of social services or daily living assistance. The data collected indicated the most prevalent abuses reported by the 5777 respondents over their lifetimes were: emotional mistreatment (21.7%), physical abuse (12%) and sexual mistreatment (7%). Within the previous year, potential neglect and financial mistreatment by family members each occurred about 5%

(1) There are several interesting issues that the documentary addresses. One of them being the suggestion that our understanding of elder abuse lies decades behind that of child abuse. Edwin Walker states that, "in the field of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, we are 40 years behind that of Child Protective Services" (Npt, 2017). Also, elder abuse is underreported. Apparently, it is estimated that one in ten adults over the age of 60 is a victim and that “there are over five million elder abuse victims in the U.S, which is more than the combined total of child abuse victims and domestic violence victims” (2017). But of course, there is no way to be 100 percent sure of the actual numbers of older adults being abused. Furthermore,

Elder Abuse is often a silent crime that involves the mistreatment or exploitation of an elderly person. This is a very important issue for the State of Florida to be concerned with since the state is very popular for retirement age people due to good weather and low taxes . As the elderly population grows in the Sunshine State, so does this incident rate for elder abuse cases. Elder abuse can manifest itself in many ways such as physical abuse, hitting, beating, pushing or really anything that will hurt or harm a person. Mental abuse such as, verbal attacks, isolation from other loved ones, threats to their well being. Financial abuse such as, spending funds without permission or having them sign their assets over without full comprehension

Elder abuse isn’t an easy topic to talk about—but it happens too often to continue to turn a blind eye too. According to the National Council of Aging (2016), also known as the NCOA, one in every ten Americans, over the age of 60, have experienced some form of elder abuse, with only one in every fourteen cases being reported to authorities. NCOA (2016) defines elder abuse and neglect as “intentional actions that cause harm or creates serious risk of harm to a vulnerable elder by a caregiver or another person in a trusted relationship” with the individual. This includes failure, of the caregiver, to satisfy the basic needs or to protect in the individual from harm along with physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and financial exploitation.

Neglect and abuse is a serious issue for the elderly living in our community, especially for those living in nursing facilities and it needs to be taken seriously by society. Due to chronic illness in this population, primary care providers are frequently in the best position to diagnose, intervene, and report potential victims of abuse and neglect. Although all caregivers who encounter the elderly whether in outpatient setting, nursing home, or even at home should know the warning signs and be able to report any signs of abuse immediately.

The first article “What is Elder Abuse?” explains what elder abuse is, who are the victims, and the many different types of abuse that can take place. The article helps define elder abuse in a way that describes how, “as elders become more physically frail, they’re less able to stand up to bullying and or fight back if attacked” (Robinson, de Benedictis, Ph.D., and Segal, Ph.D., 2011). For this reason, many caregivers or family

No one wants to believe that their loved one is being abused in a nursing home, but it is more common than you may think. Of course, there are different forms of abuse, but one common form of abuse is that of neglect. This is a problem found in many nursing homes and it can become serious that your loved one's health is in danger. The following are three signs that your loved one is being neglected.

Elder abuse, as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, is “any abuse and neglect of persons age 60 and older by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). These types of abuse can be defined as any physical, sexual, psychological/emotional harm, neglect, abandonment, and financial abuse that is done to any person(s) over the age of 60 who is being taken care of by nursing staff or fellow family members. There are many signs that clarkprosecutor.org emphasizes that should be watched for. Some of these include: discrepancies between standard of living versus financial assets, malnourishment and inadequate physical care, physical injuries, withdrawn, medical needs not attended to, and sudden unexplained changes in the victim’s living arrangements. A lot of abuse goes unnoticed because victims are usually unwilling to describe the attacks, but once they are reported they are frequently not believed (clarkprosecutor.org, 2014).

The World Health Organization (2014) defines elder abuse as, “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person” (World Health Organization, 2014). Elder abuse violates various ethical principles. First, the abuse disregards the individual’s autonomy. He or she is not choosing whether or not to be injured (Rueckert-Harman

There are many types of abuse in the United States as well as other countries: child abuse, animal abuse, are a few. The less acknowledged of all abuses in the United States is elder abuse. Elder abuse is any practice of neglect that results in harm to an older person. Anyone can issue abuse if they are taking care of an older person whether intentional or not. Due to this, as well as, other problems, many elder abuse cases go unnoticed and unreported whether it is at home or in a living facility, such as nursing homes. Home cases are hard to report on because of the invisibility of the senior let alone the abuse. The abuse can be a result of a caretakers stress either by the fault of their career or the elder themselves. It is a problem that

A social issue that is important to acknowledge is the abuse of older people. For so many years, elder abuse has been a hidden yet growing problem in the United States. This problem is recognized as a tragedy that impacts older adults of all races, cultures, sexual orientations, social class and geographic areas. Additionally, this is a critical public health problem that has negative consequences on the health and well-being of older adults. Although the definitions of elder abuse vary, the U.S Administration on Aging (AOA) describes it as physical, sexual, neglect, self-neglect, exploitation, emotional abuse, and abandonment (2016). To further explain, physical abuse can be inflicting pain or injury such as slapping, bruising, or

Also many elders do not report abuse because of disbelief, shame or fear of further abuse (Sev’er, 2014, p.287). As well a lot of victims are unaware they are being abused (Barnett et al., 2011, p.590). Elder abuse as data has shown does not just exist in family setting but in old age institutions (Sev’er, 2010, p.287). However, there is a lack of research and data on old age institutions committing elder abuse. The largest form of abuse that the elderly experience is neglect which is also the hardest to detect (Sev’er, 2010, p.288). While Mandell & Duffy (2005) argue that financial abuse is the most common form of abuse against the elderly (p.305). It’s important to look at what elderly feel and think of elder abuse in society. In the data collected by Ploeg et al (2013) shows emotional abuse as most committed by perpetuators

Older adults have paved the way for younger generations in every imaginable role in society. The moral, ethical, and legal responsibility of citizens are to provide older adults with the means for dignity, safety, and comfort in the aging process. Elder abuse is a devastating and complicated matter that entwines individual and family dynamics with issues of privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination. Fundamental to understanding the underlying forces of elder abuse is the conception of what prevents people from reporting abuse. This paper will review existing elder abuse research with the purpose of informing consistent determinants and gaps in areas of elder abuse research. By identifying barriers of reporting incidence of abuse, professionals and authorities may begin to grasp the severity and scope of the problem and develop means for prevention, detection, and mediation of abuse.

Elders who are victims may not disclose the abuse due to fear of repercussions and fear they may not be believed, or they may be dependent on the abuser. Older persons who self-report may be biased due to fear of reprisal or social desirability (Beach, year, p. 756). In addition, “seniors may be reluctant to seek help from relatives or friends, fearing that asking for assistance might be construed as an indicator that they are no longer able to care for themselves” (Hill, 2005) or a fear of retaliation (Malks, year). There may also be some error due to memory or recall. In the key findings of the research done by the AARP, “victims 55 years of age and older were significantly less likely to acknowledge that they were defrauded

Unfortunately, institutional elder abuse and neglect in this country is on the rise, and almost every day incidents of abuse and neglect are reported. According to Statistics, 10% of nursing home residents are abused, 90% of nursing homes are understaffed, 1 in 3 nursing homes have been cited for abuse, and only 1 in 5 incidents are actually reported. Abuse in a nursing home might occur because an elder is cared for in an institution that lacks proper resources. The staff may have little or no training, the institution may be understaffed, and the working conditions are