1. State of the Problem – Elder Abuse in our country is growing in America. All people have the right to live their lives without abuse, neglects, and being exploitations. It should not matter how old we are everyone has value. The 2004 Survey of State Adult Protective Services, found the following: that a 19.7 percent increase from 2000 – 2004 in the combined total of reports of elder and vulnerable adult abuse and there was a 15.6 percent increase from 2000 – 2004 in substantiated cases; and the abuse occurred more than two in five victims which is (42.8%) were age 80 or older; Most alleged perpetrators in 2003 were adult children (32.6%) or other family members (21.5%), and spouses/intimate partners accounted for 11.3% of the total. …show more content…
Financial abuse is when someone illegal takes, misuse, or conceals the funds or property, assets from an elder. These are few signs of financial abuse when someone unauthorized withdrawal money from of the elder's account and unexplained disappearance of funds or valuable possessions; and when an elder's signature being forged for financial transactions. For example, Cynthia, a ninety-three old woman recently, had her granddaughter Carol and her boyfriend Kyle move in with her to provide care giving assistance in exchange for free housing. The granddaughter convinced Cynthia to add her to her checking account to help her pay bills. Her granddaughter and her boyfriend have not been working since they move in with Cynthia. The bank teller noticed that there was irregular account activity and made contacted Adult Protective Service APS. (www.ncea.aoa.gov) Neglect abuse is refusing or failure to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for elder. These are the few of the signs when the elder are dehydration, malnutrition, untreated bed sores, and poor personal hygiene; or unsafe living condition for example improper wiring, no heat in the home or no running water. Abandonment abuse is when an individual who has assumed responsibility deserts an elderly person. Deserting an elder at a hospital, or deserting an elder at public location is abandonment abuse. (www.ncea.aoa.gov). Self-neglect is when elders neglect their own care, which can lead to illness or injury.
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, elder abuse is a term referring to any knowing, intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable
Elder abuse includes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as neglect, exploitation and abandonment of our older generation (Falk, 2012). The people that cause these injuries include the elderly person’s own family and staff members of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, medical rehabilitation facilities and hospitals (NCOA, 2017). There is approximately 1 in 10 older adults that have experienced some type of elder abuse in the United States (NCOA, 2017). Within these staggering numbers, only 1
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention standardly defines elder abuse as “any abuse and neglect of persons age 60 or older by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust” (CDC, Elder Abuse). It is always thought that the elderly are treated with honor, dignity and respect but many of the elderly have been abused and neglected as much if not worse than the children we spoke of in our previous discussions. Who seriously could hurt these frail people, someone’s grandparents, possibly even your own; persons who because of the aging process have lost their ability to fight back and are being bullied or attacked by someone in a position of trust. It is estimated that 70% to 90% of the perpetrators of elderly
Sexual abuse refers to sexual contact of any kind without permission neglect is not providing food, health care, shelter or anything needed to live for vulnerable elder persons. Illegal taking or misuse of the elder’s property is called exploitation. Emotional abuse is the humiliation, threatening, or insulting (verbally or nonverbally) of an elder. Deserting of a vulnerable elder by a person who is responsible for them is called abandonment.
Of the HFE cases, six identified co-occurring abuse, nine identified co-occurring neglect and one identified both co-occurring abuse and neglect. Interviews were conducted with up to three interviewees per case to include Adult Protective Services (APS) caseworkers (54), victims of reported elder maltreatment (42) and third party uninvolved individuals; such as neighbors, children, and friends (31) (Jackson & Hafemeister, 2012). Data was collected from a statewide database of all reported cases over a two year period. From that data, sources were interviewed and utilizing that data and APS data, important differences were found over the four types of maltreatment and the significance of studying both the victim and the abuser when determining types of elder maltreatment and the risk factors (Jackson & Hafemeister, 2011).
This essay will examine elder abuse and its role in our society. The definition of elder abuse and the different types of elder abuse will be examined. Additionally, literature that highlight legislative changes to current elder abuse laws and the origins of those laws will be examined. The paper will also discuss national reports of elder abuse statistics and the current status of elder abuse. Finally, recommendations based upon the information researched will be provided as a guide for the future.
As Americans live longer, it is no surprise that the population of older adults has increased; consequently so has the ubiquitous problem of elder abuse. In the United States elder abuse is an exceedingly, overlooked public health hazard; which covers a wide range of abuses. Approximately 2 million adults, over the age of 60 are abused or mistreated each year. ("Elder Justice: A John A. Hartford Foundation Change AGEnts Issue Brief", 2016) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has defined elder abuse as "an intentional act, or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult, age 60 and older” (“Elder Abuse: Definitions”, 2016) Studies show a vast majority of health care professionals underestimate the occurrence of elder
It is estimated that one in ten American over the age of 60 are victims of elder abuse each year. Elder abuse is a difficult subject; however, it is a subject that must be addressed. Thousands of senior citizens are being abused or neglected each day in this country. It is everyone’s responsibility to take acts to prevent elder abuse when possible.
There is no uniform definition of elder abuse, which poses numerous challenges for researchers and/or policy makers (Norris et al., 2013). As a result, the theories used to research elder
It’s hard to say that this type of abuse is only happening in low income area when in fact like most domestic violence cases income level is not a guideline. Elder abuse which is also refer to as elder mistreatment, abuse in later life, this abuse is usually done by a family member, however, it can be anyone that is close to the senior. Abuse can take place in senior facilities such as long-term nursing facilities. Elder abuse includes harms by people the older person knows, or have a relationship with, such as a spouse, partner or family member, a friend or neighbor, or people that the older person relies on for services. Paid caregivers have also been known to prey on their elderly patients. Some families may keep an elderly
The aging population is at high risk of being taken advantage of and mistreated by a caregiver or family member. Elders are the most vulnerable group of people and are subject to elder abuse in their later years of life. The Administration of Aging refers to elder abuse as the knowing, intentional, or negligent act that causes harm or serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. Every year, hundreds of thousands of older adults are abused, neglected, and exploited. Unfortunately, a trusted caregiver or a loved one commits most of these heinous acts.
One of the fastest growing populations in the United States are the elderly. According to Stark (2012, p. 24), “In 2000, adults age 65 and older accounted for 12.5% of the U.S. population. By 2050, they'll account for an estimated 25% of the U.S. population.”As the elderly population continues to grow, so are the cases of elder abuse, especially elder abuse types that are difficult to detect. It is a growing concern for today's modern and future society.
Abuse is defined as the willful infliction of physical pain, injury, or mental anguish upon an older adult, or willful deprivation by a caretaker of services necessary for physical and mental health (Falk, Baigis, & Kopac, 2012). Elder mistreatment is unrecognized, hidden, underreported, and encompasses a broad range of abuse including self-neglect, financial exploitation, and emotional harm, all of which require a different type of intervention (Falk et al., 2012). Screening and assessment are necessary to determine whether an elderly person is being abused, exploited or neglected by someone or if he or she is unable to provide self-care (Falk et al., 2012). In March 2010, the Elder Justice Act (EJA) was passed as a part of the Affordable Care Act, which authorizes federal response to elder abuse through training, services, and demonstration programs (Dong, 2012). Part I of EJA calls for the formation of an Elder Justice Coordinating Council comprised of federal government representatives charged with the responsibility of administering programs for the promotion of elder justice (Falk et al., 2012). The Council is to provide recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on the issue of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the elderly (Falk et al., 2012). Part II focuses on the authorization of programs aimed at enhancing long-term care (Falk et al.,
(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,
Elders in the United States should not have to go through situations of abuse like the one Mildred Mortenson suffered. However, this type of situations happen more often than they should and sadly, there is not enough being done to prevent it. Elder abuse should be recognized as an increasing and very serious problem in our society. As elders grow more physically frail and begin to depend on others to meet their basic needs, they tend to become vulnerable to intentional abuse and neglect within their own home as well as assisted living facilities such as nursing homes. Unfortunately, it is not possible to know exactly how many elders are being abused across the Nation. Due to under-reporting, variations in the definition of elder abuse,