Elder Abuse Research Paper

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

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.

Elder Abuse: The Crime of the Twenty-First Century? - Research on Aging MAY 5, 2014 University of California Television (UCTV) Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Abuse of the elderly is a common issue, but the aging adults are protected by a federal law known as the “Elder Justice Act”. According to Hillier and Barrow (2011), between 3 percent and 6 percent of people over the age of 65 report being abused. However, elderly abuse is usually not reported, because the abuser is typically a family member. So, the abuse adult will not report the abuse because they are afraid of making the abuser angrier or being isolated (Hillier & Barrow, 2011, p. 328). According to the department of health and human services “The “Elder Justice Act” is the first comprehensive federal legislation to address elder abuse, was signed into law by President Obama in March, 2010 as part of the health care reform act.”

Where to Go for Help National Center on Elder Abuse(NCEA) The NCEA is a resource for public and private agencies, professionals, service providers, and individuals interested in elder abuse prevention information, training, technical assistance, and research. 1-855-500-3537 www.ncea.aoa.gov Adult Protective Services Adult Protective Services (APS), present in all 50 states, is designated to receive and investigate allegations of elder abuse and neglect. Each state has a primary agency that houses APS. It may be the Area Agency on Aging, the Division of Aging, the Department of Aging, or the Department of Social Services.

Should the U.S. Congress keep the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (2017) because it helps prevent elderly abuse and it affects elderly citizens’ resources effectively? Or should the act be amended by Congress to add other precautions and policies be added into the act to help further prevent elderly abuse and make it more efficient?

harm on an older adult. Elder abuse can also take the form of intentional or unintentional neglect of an older adult by the caregiver.

Harbison, J., etc. (2012). Understanding “Elder Abuse and Neglect”: A critique of assumptions underpinning responses to the mistreatment and neglect of older people. Journal of elder abuse & neglect, 24(2), 88-103.

An ever-growing population of vulnerable people is being abused. This population spends the most money on healthcare in the United States (Walker, 2012). Healthcare professionals observe and examine these patients every day, yet many of this group’s injuries go unnoticed and unreported.

“Every year an estimated 5 million older Americans are victims of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. And that’s only part of the picture: Experts believe that for every case of elder abuse or neglect reported, as many as 23 cases go unreported” ("World Elder Abuse Awareness Day"). The issue of elderly abuse is a growing topic in our country because it violates three specific articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Elderly abuse and neglect is an increasing age discrimination issue in the United States and violates the human rights to an adequate standard of living, equal protection under the law, and the right to be free from degrading treatment.

There is a significant amount of reports on elderly abuse in America. An increasingly disproportionate amount of elderly people needs care and assistance to perform essential tasks like eating and drinking. However, families are not stepping up to help care for their elderly family members for different reasons. Some claim to be too busy with their own lives, others do not have the knowledge or skills needed to appropriately care their elderly family member or some simply do not aim to care for their elderly family members. Because of this many elderly people end up in elderly care facilities. These institutions are intended specifically to take care of people who cannot care for themselves or who cannot receive help from others while living

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

The decision to move your elderly loved one into a nursing home is never easy. Not only does it mean a radical life change, it can be difficult to trust strangers to care for someone you've been seeing to for months or even years.

Elderly people who suffer with dementia are at an increased risk of experiencing abuse. On the Alzheimer’s website (www.alzheimer.ca, March 7) they discuss the reasons for this heightened risk. The site found that the risk is due to the impairment in the person’s cognitive ability, and the fact that this segment of population has issues with their ability to communicate. People with Alzheimer’s are very dependent on their caregivers; whether that be a family member or a long term care facility. This paper will look at the ethical responsibilities of a counsellor to a client who may be suffering from dementia, and who reports abuse. I will look at the connection between elderly people with dementia, and the increased likelihood that they are victims of elder abuse.

This paper talks about elder abuse and neglect. In the paper, the statistical overview is given in detail with regard to issues pertaining to elder abuse and neglect. In the statistics, evidences are given with regard to abused elders, population coverage of the elders, and the estimated population come 2050. The population is projected to continue increasing for the elders. Types of elder abuse are given details such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, and neglect by caregivers, healthcare frauds, and many more. Furthermore, impacts and signs of such abuses are thoroughly discussed in the thesis paper. Lastly, the paper provides authentic remedies that can be followed to identify signs and find solution for the victims.