Elder Abuse Research Paper

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

As a police officer it is expected that you will intervene in difficult situations. Personally, I draw upon my past experiences to provide individuals with an array of information to help them better understand their own experience they are living. One area of policing where I can’t do this is elder abuse. Lesson #5 of this Domestic Violence Course has introduced me to several theories that will help me better understand elder abuse as a type of domestic violence.

In the 1990s, the Elder Abuse Task Force was established by the Secretary of the "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." The task force developed an action plan for identifying and preventing elder from being mistreated in health care setting. A National Institute on Elder Abuse was established in 1991 as part of the Administration on Aging 's Elder Care Campaign. Adult Protective Service programs now exist in each state to serve vulnerable adults, especially seniors who are at high risk of being abuse and neglect (AMA, 2015). Such actions have been brought to the attention of the public and physician concerning elderly abuse and neglect. Researchers have conducted studies to assess the scope and causes of mistreatment among the elderly (AMA, 2015). Laws have been enacted in each state for physicians and others to report suspected cases. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for emergency departments and their ambulatory care centers for identifying elder abuse, in addition to domestic violence and child abuse (AMA, 2015).

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

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

The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse states that 10% of older adults are abused in some way; which is over 160,000 people in Ontario. Elderly abuse is categorized as the violence, mistreatment or neglect of an elderly person by caregivers, service providers, family, or even strangers (Canadian Government). A senior citizen can be abused physically, financially, psychologically, and rarely, sexually. The mistreatment is usually because of the influence a caregiver has over an older adult. The abuse on the elderly can happen in long term care facilities or in the home; it usually goes unnoticed and unreported (Elder Abuse and Neglect). The concern of abuse on the elderly population is a growing issue due to the increasing populace of older people and baby boomers; physical, financial, and emotional abuse are the most common forms. The problem needs to be taken more seriously, the types of abuse may vary, but regardless of the form, abuse among the elderly needs to end.

Goal Statement To help elderly individuals maintain their health and independence in their homes and communities through systems of long-term care, and livable communities where their safety is not at risk. The goal is to find different programs and ways for the elderly to be protected against any kind of harm and abuse. Scope of the Problem

Area agencies on aging can be viewed as advocacy groups for the elderly and Medicaid. Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging helps to connect elderly individuals to local area agencies. These agencies missions are to ‘promote the continued physical, social, and economic self-sufficiency of Missouri’s seniors’ (Our Mission). Many of the aging agencies are able to help educate the elderly on Medicaid and how to access Medicaid. If the agency is unable to help the elderly individual apply for Medicaid, they are able to direct them to an agency that specializes in the application

The perpetrators also portray several risk factors and these include circumstances that put them at the likelihood of abusing the elderly. The most common risk factors in this case are mental illness such as depression and anxiety as this triggers verbal and physical abuse; substance misuse and this has been linked with physical, emotional, sexual, financial and psychological abuse; and abuser dependency as their level of dependence threatens the well-being of the adult.

Scheidet, R.A. (2003). Improving Student Achievement by Infusing a Web-Based Curriculum into Global History. Journal Of Research on Technology in Education. International Society for Technology in Education, 36(1), 77-94. Retrieved from: Ashford University Library

According to Garth wait (2014) public agencies are created by a legislative body made up of elected officials and funded by tax dollars. Adult Protective Services is a state funded program, which is open to all United States Citizens. Approximately 2 million older adults suffer from elder mistreatment and self-neglect annually in the United States “Victims suffer psychological distress, lowered self-efficacy, depression, and premature mortality (Dong et al., 2009; Lachs, Williams, O’Brien, Pillemer, & Charlson, 1998)”. Unfortunately, many cases remain undetected, meaning that many older adults remain in life-threatening circumstances. “A primary reason for undetected cases is the lack of comprehensive, psychometrically validated assessment tools that can facilitate the identification of possible EM and SN by state protective agencies and healthcare professionals (Fulmer, Guadagno, Dyer, & Connolly,

The research interest topic is the prevalence of elder abuse and neglect found in selected Ohio nursing homes and what, if any consequences the nursing homes encounter if elder abuse cases are substantiated. A theory consists of a body of ideas regarding a particular phenomenon or topic (Cozby & Bata, 2012). Therefore, a theory seeks the truth from reasoned known facts, which serves as a basis of investigation (Burnight & Mosqueda, 2011). The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical perspective.

All too often, people in nursing homes are abused by those who are entrusted with their care. In fact, 44 percent of the 2,000 nursing home residents interviewed in one study said that they had been abused, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse. While not all elder mistreatment in nursing homes can be prevented, there are things that people can do to help

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,

Elder Abuse is defined as any activity performed by an individual whereby these actions cause suffering of the older adult, intentionally or not (Touhy, Jett, Boscart & McCleary, 2012, p. 378). Unfortunately, the incidents of elder abuse continue to rise with the increasing number of people entering older adulthood. It is interesting to note that although elder abuse is highly under reported its occurrence increased three fold over a ten-year period (Friese & Collopy, 2010, p. 61). Certainly, it is a nurse’s duty to provide holistic care to his or her patients, which must include protection from abuse. Elder abuse can take on many forms including physical, emotional, sexual, neglect and financial. It is important to note that for the