Research Paper On Elderly Abuse

The general feelings we hold as a society is that nursing homes are the better option for all elders. Not all nursing home assistants are properly trained on how to handle elders with certain disabilities. Often times someone who has been around the elder and know his or her personality are a better caregiver fit. Also, elders often feel more comfortable around people who they have known a longer time. I am aware that all nursing homes aren’t abusive and many times are an appropriate place for loved ones. There are times when the person who is doing the abusing is a family member, so whoever the caregiver may be should

Elder abuse is a family matter, most of the date indicated that adult children are the abusers. Spouses and other family members are also part of the abuse but not as much as adult children. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, almost 90% of abusers were family members and almost 62% of all cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of adults living at home engage abuse by the other people. You would think that caregivers would be more likely to mistreat the elders, since the elders are not family, sadly that is not the

There are many broad and different definitions of elder abuse, and different forms and ways to deal with it. Elder abuse consists of “intentional or neglectful acts of a caregiver, family member, friend, or other individuals that lead to, or may lead to, harm of a senior citizen” (Elder Abuse Facts, 2016). One of the biggest problems we face when looking at this policy is that elder harm and abuse can happen practically anywhere. Elder abuse can happen in a private setting; in their own homes committed by their own family members (Help Guide, 2014, p.1). But it can also happen in a care center, with lots of people living in close proximity to them.

With so many elderly people in nursing homes combined with the lack of nursing care available, abuse within nursing homes is more common than anyone would like to face. According to the CDC, as of 2014, there were only 15,600 nursing homes with the number of residents exceeding 1.4 million. They also report that for every case of elder abuse there are 23 cases that are not reported or that remain hidden from authorities. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/elderabuse/consequences.html

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).

This scholarly journal looks at elderly abuse in general. It talks about different ways one can notice that the senior is being abused and what to do about the abuse. It also describes different reasons why the abusers abuse the elderly. It says how elderly abuse can be very difficult to notice and it is also difficult to help the seniors. The article then describes the difficulties that seniors have when they are abused. It talks a little about senior homes and how the elderly are treated by the nurses. It also gives some specific examples of abuse and the role of the government in this situation. This article is very opinionated and the author expresses her views on the topic very clearly.

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).

The issue of elder abuse is clearly an ethical concern. As a caregiver, the nurse has the responsibility to ensure that the environment of the patient is safe and supportive of health and wellness. In the case of an elderly patient who is too frail to engage in effective self-care, the demands upon the nurse increase as the nurse must

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

The hard part about elder abuse in a nursing home is most of them can barely talk clearly and alzheimer's. “People with Alzheimer’s have a higher risk of being abused than other nursing home residents. Because of their condition, these patients are more vulnerable, and so they are more often targeted for abuse”(“Management”). As people get older there memory slowly starts to fade. Meaning that they have a easy time forgetting things so if they get abused no one will know.

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?

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

Abuse can happen to anyone, but elderly adults residing in nursing homes are more vulnerable and have a higher risk for abuse (Rasansky Law Firm, 2006, para. 1). Elders are among the fastest growing in the population, and because of this many more elderly

Anyone can abuse a nursing home resident from their nurses to their own family members. There has only one been national study to try to explain who abuses residents more, according to the NCEA(2011), and at approximately 90% of them were abused by family members. Just as well abuse can occur anywhere from their own houses to nursing homes. According to a study from 2000, 2,000 residents were polled and 44% of them stated they had been abused. Other research from the NCEA states that persons with dementia are at a much higher risk for abuse. A study that had been conducted in 2010 revealed that 47% of elderly with dementia had been abused. Abuse definitely takes an impact on these people. Statistics, again from NCEA, have shown that elders who have been abused have a 300% higher risk of death over those not abused. They also have many more psychological and medical problems than a non-abused person.

It is also not limited to just physical abuse, elder abuse can range from emotional, financial, or sexual abuse. Society has been turning a blind eye to elder abuse because it is not commonly reported. Even workers in a nursing home that suspected abuse against the elder patients did not try to report anything because they did not know where to report it or if it would be solved. A shocking survey of care home workers, “found that 88 percent had witnessed or suspected abuse in nursing homes which previously employed them” (Donnelly).