Essay On Elder Abuse And Neglect

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.

B., Resnick, H. S., Muzzy, W., Kilpatrick, D. G., Hernandez, M. A., & Steve, K. (2010). Prevalence and correlates of emotional, physical, sexual, and financial Abuse and potential neglect in the united states: The national elder mistreatment Study. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 292-297.doi 10.2105/ajph.2009.163089

There is a great gap in understanding elder abuse prevention irrespective of the severity of the matter (Pillemer, Burnes, Riffin & Lachs, 2016). Additionally there are no cost-effective programs implemented to promote elder abuse intervention. However, in understanding the seriousness of the matter, any intervention method currently available calls for all the community members, including the general population and professionals to work together in preventing the prevailing problem. There are proposed frameworks that can mitigate the issue. The first method is the caregiver interventions which offer services to alleviate the burden of taking care of the elderly like in meal preparation and housekeeping (Pillemer, Burnes, Riffin & Lachs, 2016). The other system aims helping individuals vulnerable to financial abuse and these are known as money management programs which help with paying bills and paying for homecare (Pillemer, Burnes, Riffin & Lachs, 2016). Emergency shelter is also a proposed framework that offers a home to the abused individuals thus providing a safe haven to the victims (Pillemer, Burnes, Riffin & Lachs, 2016). Despite of inadequate literature on interventions for elder abuse, it is important that the health care practitioners develop a system that can promote prevention and treatment methods as it is their role to educate the society on what needs to be

An estimated twenty-one percent of nursing home residents are neglected at least once in the past twelve months and more than twenty-four percent are abused at least once during their entire stay (Schub & Kornusky, 2014). In a study of 718 family members and others responsible for those ages 60 and older receiving long-term care in a nursing home, an assisted living facility or paid homecare, nearly 30 percent reported at least one instance of elder abuse in the past year. Neglect was the most common form and sexual abuse the least (Anetzberger, 2012).

Elder mistreatment is a serious problem in America, yet it often overlooked. Elder abuse is defined as abuse in older adults that includes, but isn’t limited to physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse. It is a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm. It is often misunderstood and dismissed as just a family matter when in fact, that is the least common source of cruelty amongst the elders. According to the National council of aging, 1 in 10 Americans aged 60 and older have experienced some form of abuse. Some estimates range as high as 5 million elders who are reportedly abused yearly.

· Physical abuse. Contrary to common belief, many elderly victims of physical abuse are high functioning. The abuser is typically a family member, often the adult offspring of the victim. The abuser may be a long-term dependent of the victim because of health or financial issues and may take out resentment for this dependence on the elderly victim. These victims are generally aware that they are being mistreated, but their sense of parental or family obligation makes them reluctant to cut off the abuser.

“Evidence suggests that one in 10 older adults experiences some form of elder abuse, but only one in 25 cases is reported to social services agencies” (Dong, 2012, p. 2151). Elder mistreatment can occur in a variety of settings including domestic and assisted living. Elder abuse includes psychological, physical, and sexual abuse; neglect to include both caregiver and self-neglect; and financial exploitation. With the vast explosion of the aging population in today’s society elder abuse can no longer loom in the shadows.

The elderly population is faced with many challenges as they age. One of the challenges is elder abuse. Globally, elderly abuse is a major social problem that has worsened over time. Physical, sexual, emotional or psychological and financial abuses are some of the forms of abuse the elderly population are subject to. Has memory problems such as dementia, lack of support and physical disabilities are some causes or risk factors of elderly abuse. The consequences of such abuse going unresolved is have health issues, such as depressions, anxiety, stress, long term-psychological issues and even death. Moreover, “elderly abuse is often defined as a repeated or single act, or lack of appropriate action, that happens in any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes distress, injury, or suffering to an older person” (Kilvik et. al., 2015). The prevalence of Elder abuse is that of a world-wide issue caused by perpetrators, such as family members, friends, healthcare professionals, relatives and strangers. Interventions and prevention measures are put into place to help older adults suffering from the after math of abuse. As the elderly population grow, elder abuse increases. what are the different forms of elderly abuse? What are the various risk factors of elder abuse?

A term that is quite often used in today’s society is family violence, more specifically child abuse and spousal abuse. A term that is not heard often is elder abuse, which is unfortunate due to the fact that it is a fairly common occurrence. It was estimated that in 2009, one in ten elderly Americans were victims of elder abuse within the previous year (Acierno, 2010). Even though elder abuse is prevalent here in America, it is seldom that this phenomenon is actually discussed.

Elder abuse is linked to significant health issues, such as increased morbidity and premature mortality (Baker, Francis, Hairi, Othman, & Choo, 2016). Another type of maltreatment of older people is neglect, which is defined as a lack of action by a caregiver required to meet the needs of an older adult, such as withholding medications or medical treatment, and not providing adequate food, clothing, shelter, or hygiene (“County of Riverside,”

It is an image that no one wants to imagine"¦your dear grandmother, sitting there in a nursing home all alone in a time of need. Maybe she needs something simple, like a glass of water, or maybe it is more serious like a horrible pain in her chest. The nurses there have simply ignored her requests for attention, or even worse, they mocked her for her pain and suffering. Our elders are a huge part of who we are today. They helped paved the road for our present in a not so distant past, yet unfortunately many now are being exposed to humiliation, neglect, and even abuse.

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?

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

There are many types of abuse and neglect that are encountered in primary care. Many times, abuse and neglect are regarded as results of old age (i.e. bruises or abrasions from bumping into objects while walking secondary to unsteady gait or decreased vision). Elder abuse is often underestimated by care providers considering the definition differs widely among care providers and entities. This lack of definitional clarity can hamper the care provider’s ability to assess whether abuse or neglect truly exists which results in elder abuse often being unreported and undetected. Elder abuse and neglect can encompass many different areas to include physical, emotional, financial, sexual, psychological, medical, self-neglect and self-abuse (Falk, Baigis, Kopac, 2012, 2-3).

In addition, it also includes the failure to provide or satisfy elder’s basic needs or to protect the elder from harm (2010). The World Health Organization defines elderly abuse as an act of commission or omission that can be either intentional or non-intentional (WHO). A superficial observation of both definitions reveals the common denominator which is an act hurts the individual. Furthermore, this type of abuse can take several forms: physical, sexual, psychological, financial, and neglect (Hansen, 2015).