Nursing Home Abuse Essay

Choosing a long-term care facility can be very difficult because of incidents of abuse and/or neglect reported against care facilities can be overwhelming. For example in “Ending Elder Abuse: A family guide”, Diane Sandell lists many elder abuse incidents from her files such as: neglect of decubitis ulcers led to infection, sepsis, gangrene, and death. Facility failed to provide necessary diabetic diet; improper insulin administration, insulin overdose; dehydration and death. Resident left alone in chair in shower room fell, became paralyzed from neck down. Many reports of pinching, rough handling, slapping, yelling, threats (2000). It is believed that abuse is most likely to occur if the caregiver not only finds the work difficult but also (1) works full time, (2) cares for young children, (3) is poor, (4) feels little affection for the older person, (5) finds the elderly person very difficult, and (6) gets no support or help from others (Macionis, 2005). Although there is no excuse for abusing elderly Americans, it is still very prominent in today’s society. Diane Sandell explains in Ending Elder Abuse, that her 91 year old mother was beaten by a long-term care facility employee in the middle of the night for reasons unknown. It is stated that her mother died 6 weeks after the incident, unable to recover mentally from the abuse (2000).

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

There are have been many cases of nursing home and elder abuse nation wide and all around the world. One case that occurred in Baltimore, Maryland that involved a man who worked in a long term care facility and hit one of his residents.(Lee, 2013) This resident was an 84 year old man. This man was only caught

With over 1.5 million elderly and dependent adults now living in nursing homes throughout the country, abuse and neglect has become a widespread problem. Even though some nursing homes provide good care, many are subjecting helpless residents to needless suffering and death. Most residents in nursing homes are dependent on the staff for most or all their needs such as food, water, medicine, toileting, grooming- almost all their daily care. Unfortunately, many residents in nursing homes today are starved, dehydrated, over-medicated, and suffer painful pressure sores. They are often isolated, ignored and deprived of social contact and stimulation. Because of insufficient and poorly trained staff commonly found in

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

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

However, elder abuse is also common among the millions of elder Americans who reside in nursing homes. A study where 2,000 nursing home residents were interviewed, reported that 44% of the residents had been abused and 95% said they had been neglected or seen another resident neglected. They also state that 91% of nursing homes lack adequate staff to properly care for patients and 36% are known to have been in violation of elderly abuse laws (National Center on Elder Abuse). This information is extremely alarming. If these facts have already been uncovered, why is it that no one is doing anything to prevent this from happening to others?

Moving your loved one into a nursing home is never an easy decision. While it’s a comfort knowing he or she will be looked after, entrusting their care into the hands of strangers can be scary. This paired with a recent congressional report indicating that nearly 1/3 of all nursing homes have been cited for verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, and it’s no wonder why so many people have concerns. Should your loved one fall victim to nursing home abuse, the following entry will help you obtain justice.

There are over 3.2 million adults that reside in nursing homes and other long term care facilities in the United States. Studies show that a good 40 percent of all adults will enter a nursing home within their lives. As the population grows and technology increases the percentage of the adults to enter increases as well. While a lot of elders get the proper and needed care, many however, become victims of abuse. As a result, legislatures in all 50 states have passed anti-elder-abuse laws but, nursing home abuse continues regardless.

Elderly abuse in nursing homes in America is an uprising issue. Elders make up a large portion of our population and they deserve the equality. This issue is very important because eventually this could affect you personally, or a loved one in your family. I stand for better environments in these nursing homes and find it terrible that elders get treated so poorly. The reason the number of reports on elder abuse has gone up so rapidly in the past decade is because the number of elders has drastically risen. There is an increase in the number of elders not only because Americans are living longer than ever before, but also because the next generation of senior citizens is larger than ever before. It has been predicted

I have seen it with my own eyes, these patients get mistreated on a regular daily basis. Most of that harm could have been prevented. And there is a large percent of nursing home residents harmed by their treatment wound up back in the hospital as

Is the topic of domestic abuse against the elderly people. Most people don’t realize that the elderly are victims to this offense, their age does not prevent them to becoming a victim. However, most of the time it isn’t a partner or family member that is abusing the elders. When looking at the news, it is usually the caretaker that is causing the abuse. It’s easier for the caretaker to abuse their client because they are needed to be taken care of. They could have trouble walking or must be isolated from the outside world because they are very sick and other medical reasons (Jackson & Hafemeister, 2013). This gives the abuser an advantage because they know their client can’t seek for

When you think of abuse you automatically begin to think of child abuse or domestic abuse but rarely is the first thought in your mind elder abuse. Often overlooked, elder abuse is a pressing issue surrounding nursing care for older adults. Unfortunately, many cases of elder abuse are not identified and sometimes they are identified much too late. Geriatric abuse can come in many forms which include physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, and even financial abuse.

A large amount of the population in our country aren’t seeing and understanding what is happening behind closed doors to nursing homes. All nursing homes aren’t as safe and trustworthy as many assume. Nursing Homes, meant to be safe living for the elderly to be cared for in their golden years have turned into a nightmare for senior citizens across the country, being a target for countless acts of neglect and abuse. “It is an unfortunate fact that elder abuse is a widespread problem and older adults are exposed to abuse not only in domestic settings, but also in human service settings. Maltreatment of Patients in Nursing Homes” (Lee, 2007 Para.1)

Elder abuse and neglect is a major issue in the health care industry, that society need to be made aware of. Seniors who stay at home or in nursing home are at more risk. Nurses should have the knowledge to identify the abuse 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.