Elder And Child Abuse : Children And The Elderly Essay

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 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.

The definition of patient abuse is the mistreatment or neglect of individuals who are under the care of a health care organization (Pozgar, 2013). In the United States, the vulnerable populations for this abuse are the elderly and children. Patient abuse is not only in an institutional setting, but also at home. The rise of elderly patients has increased in recent years due to the aging of the baby boomers. Currently, 13% of the population is over the age of 65 (NCEA, 2014). Many cases of elder abuse is caused by their own family (NCEA, 2014), this in turn reflects underreporting and insufficient data. The elderly also experience higher levels of physical and mental disability, which impair their abilities to report (CDC, 2014). Children are at high risk as well due to their vulnerability because of age and mental age (CDC, 2014). Health care workers are required by law to report suspected abuse (Pozgar, 2013). There is a strong ethical duty to acknowledge abuse of any patient. There are also legal ramifications compelling health care workers to be aware of suspected abuse. Each state has enacted laws to report abused patients as well as protect and at times penalize the reporter.

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.

Elder mistreatment is unrecognized, hidden, and underreported. Studies showed that nurses among health professionals are largely unaware of the various forms of elder mistreatment that take place and of the proper course of action to pursue when mistreatment is suspected Falk, Baigis, and Kopac(2012). People should be aware of the many faces of elder maltreatment, and all health caregivers working with older adults need to recognize, treat, and prevent elder abuse and neglect (Daly, et al., 2012).

With medical and technological advances, the United State’s life expectancy continues to increase, leading to an improved number of elderly individuals. As a nursing student, who worked at a nursing home for three years in high school, I am quite familiar with elderly abuse, especially institutional abuse. Prior to this discussion post, I persisted more familiar with the types of elderly abuse, rather than the incidence rates within the United States. To clarify this discussion post, elderly abuse stands defined 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” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The risk of harm to an older adult subsisted evident in an institutional setting, from my work experience. While I cannot disclose that the nurses physically, sexually, or financially abused the residents, I am aware of the neglect and emotional abuse the occurred in this setting. The abuse that occurs to elderly individuals stems for two triggers – caregiver stress and the vulnerability of the elder. According to the textbook, “Exhaustion and anger can reach a boiling point and can create intergenerational conflicts” (Olson, DeFrain, & Skogrand, 2014, p. 383). When caregivers acquire stress, they tend to take out their aggression on the elder, intentionally or unintentionally, as they remain overwhelmed with emotions. Personally, I

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

Elder abuse is a serious problem and almost 14.1 percent of noninstutionalized older adults in the United States have experience it in the past year (govtrack.us, 2016). The elder abuse is any kind of mistreatment that causes harm or loss to an older adults and it is not only limited to physical and psychological abuse, but also include sexual and financial abuse, and neglect (National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, 2008). In addition, the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (2008) mentioned that older adults as a result of abuse can lose their independence, homes, life savings, health, dignity, and security. Most importantly, the older adults who have been abused are 300% at higher risk of death than non-abused older adults (N National Center on Elder Abuse, 2016).

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.

Elder abuse is a growing problem that can be a challenge to address. Physical, emotional, and financial abuse is associated with increased mortality rates, especially in those that are alone. The National center on Elder Abuse (as cited in Hoover & Polson, 2014) defines elder abuse as “intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or ‘trusted’ individual that lead to or may lead to, harm of a vulnerable elder”. Mistreatment of older adults will incline as the number of adults that need caregivers increase. The elder adult that is the most susceptible to abuse is most likely frail, defenseless, and cognitively impaired. Amidst all other problems, the older adult has encountered at least one type of abuse in their later years. Many cases of older adult abuse are not reported and the abuse continues until mortality.

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.

Other at-risk groups include people who are socially isolated and people with mental impairments or dementia. While protecting the victim is of the utmost importance, it is vital to not forget the abuser because they are affected as well. Since most abuse happens at home by family members, that is who I am referring to as the abuser. The stresses of caregiving can be overwhelming. While elder abuse is never an acceptable response to any problem, no matter how stressful, many people who are thrust into the role of caregiving can find themselves ill-equipped for it. At its most innocent stage, a caregiver 's unintentional failure to provide proper care and support because of a lack of understanding or lack of skills is abusive behavior that can threaten the safety and well-being of the older adult, but instead of them being penalized it may be more productive to educate them.

In the health field, the role of professional nursing plays an important part when it comes to elderly abuse. Nurses are among the categories of mandatory reporter most frequently identified in elder abuse reporting and protective service laws, and they are the health care professionals who most often assume major responsibilities in assessing elder abuse and neglect situations (Miller,2005). Nurses intervene in elder abuse situations as individual health care providers or as part of a

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

“Elder abuse can be difficult to detect. Victims often refuse to report abuse because of feelings of shame, guilt, and fear, or because they are socially isolated or mentally or physically disabled” (Meeks-Sjostrom, 2004, p. 250). I feel that as nurses we must advocate for the elderly. If we see signs of abuse we need to report it immediately. DCF and risk management need to be involved in these cases and make these caregivers accountable. If more of these abusers were convicted and served time for such abuse then maybe others would see the consequences to this horrible problem. I feel we also need to make the public aware of these types of abuse so that everyone, not just those in healthcare can advocate for the elderly in their