Public Awareness On Abuse And Neglect

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).

As the healthcare system in this country has changed, so have traditional nursing homes. Families have the right to expect that their loved ones will be taken care of by professionals in a caring environment. Unfortunately, may people are being abused and neglected in nursing homes. It is very clear that abuse is a serious problem among nursing home patients, and something needs to be done to put a stop to it.

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).

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.

In general, elder abuse refers to any knowing, intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. All fifty states have laws of some form that prohibit elder abuse. Sadly, we do not know exactly how many elderly suffer from neglect and abuse. Although, statistics show female elders are abused at a higher rate than males. The elderly person may be hesitant to report the abuse because of lack of physical ability to report or fear or retaliation. Most of the time, the abusers are family members. Family members who use a lot drugs or alcohol, have a mental illness, and who feel burdened by their caregiving responsibilities are more likely to be abusive. About 5.1 million Americans over the age of 65 have

When the condition of the state continues to breed poverty, ignorance and lack of access to quality education create circumstances that can contribute to future situations for elderly abuse. Elderly abuse tends not to be present in wealthy communities, here is why; they can afford end of life care so as not to be a burden to the caregiver, and having had access to wealth for medical and increase diets needs which leads to better heath. The National Center on Elder Abuse says there is a risk of 300% for death of elders who experience abuse compared to those who have not been abused (28). There is no range limit as to how far different types of abuse, neglect and abandonment will reach for the elderly people. In addition, long term care and nursing homes

Educating the seniors, professionals and their staff along with caregivers, and the public on abuse is vital to the prevention of, and identification of elder abuse.

Significance of the Study Elder abuse is a national concern and with the increasing number of elderly individuals, it is essential that more research is conducted on elder abuse in nursing homes in hopes to improve the current laws, policies, and/or consequences received to put a stop to the amount of elder abuse or neglect in nursing homes. After all, a family sends their loved ones into a nursing home to be taken care of and cared for with dignity and respect they do not expect their loved one to encounter abuse or neglect while in the nursing home. As a result, this study is significant to the health care community and the aging population in order, to help combat cases of elder abuse or neglect found in nursing homes.

Jeanne Segal, in the article "Elder Abuse and Neglect", explains all the warning signs that this abuse is occurring, risk factors, prevention, and help. Jeanne Segal supports her ideas by listing ways in which an everyday person can identify an abused elder, illustrating its risks not only on the abused, but also the caregiver, and listing numbers to contact to report this abuse. The author's primary focus is to inform the reader, so that they may better be able to make a change and decrease its occurrence. The author writes in an academic tone for the public as an awareness

Older adults have paved the way for younger generations in every imaginable role in society. The moral, ethical, and legal responsibility of citizens are to provide older adults with the means for dignity, safety, and comfort in the aging process. Elder abuse is a devastating and complicated matter that entwines individual and family dynamics with issues of privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination. Fundamental to understanding the underlying forces of elder abuse is the conception of what prevents people from reporting abuse. This paper will review existing elder abuse research with the purpose of informing consistent determinants and gaps in areas of elder abuse research. By identifying barriers of reporting incidence of abuse, professionals and authorities may begin to grasp the severity and scope of the problem and develop means for prevention, detection, and mediation of abuse.

As you are aware, the ever increasing elderly population is directly related to the number of abuse cases reported each year. Although we as a society have made progress in trying to mitigate elderly abuse through education, detection, reporting, and enforcement, more must be done if we are serious about reducing and eliminating elder abuse. Cases of elder abuse occur behind closed doors in nursing (home) facilities and while in the care of home health care workers. We must look closely at the people who are abusing the elderly regardless of the type of abuse.

The mistreatment of older adults takes many forms, including physical, verbal, emotional and sexual abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, the number of older adults who are mistreated each year is close to 5 million and is

Each year thousands of individuals are abused and neglected including elderly persons. Many have stated that because of their age, frailness leaves them vulnerable to society. The majority depends on their caregiver to meet their basic need because they cannot help themselves. According to the 1985 Elder Abuse Prevention, Identification and Treatment Act, elderly abuse is defined as “willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or cruel punishment with resulting physical harm or pain or mental anguish or the willful deprivation by a caretaker of goods or services which are necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish or mental illness”. Most definitions are needs oriented and substitute the terms abuse and neglect to the inability of the caretakers’ to meet the elderly basic needs or maltreatment of elderly adults. This definition is less criminally oriented.

Unfortunately, institutional elder abuse and neglect in this country is on the rise, and almost every day incidents of abuse and neglect are reported. According to Statistics, 10% of nursing home residents are abused, 90% of nursing homes are understaffed, 1 in 3 nursing homes have been cited for abuse, and only 1 in 5 incidents are actually reported. Abuse in a nursing home might occur because an elder is cared for in an institution that lacks proper resources. The staff may have little or no training, the institution may be understaffed, and the working conditions are

Who is at risk? What are the signs of elder abuse? A 2017 study found that over the course of a year, 15.7% of adults over the age of 60 experienced some form of abuse (Yon et al.). Although this is likely underestimated, 15.7% (or 1 in 6) individuals over the age of 60 experiencing abuse is a staggering statistic. Furthermore, The World Health Organization states that 40% of nursing home staff members admitted to psychologically abusing patients, and 10% admitted to physically abusing a patient (“Elder Abuse Fact Sheet”). There are several risk factors for being a victim of elder abuse. The National Center on Elder Abuse says that individuals that are dependent on others to survive, individuals with dementia, women, low-income individuals, and individuals in larger households were all more likely to experience one or more types of elder abuse (“Statistics/Data”). This is not to say that everyone in one of those categories is being abused, but recognizing that these groups are at risk can help is identifying elder abuse. Identifying elder abuse can be difficult depending on the type of abuse. The National Institute on Aging states that abused elders may have trouble sleeping, become depressed, confused, agitated, or violent, become withdrawn and stop participating in activities they normally enjoy, have unexplained bruises or scars, or have an unkempt or messy appearance (“Elder