The Importance Of Elder Abuse

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.

Although it does not usually make news headlines and is rarely discussed, nursing home residents and the elderly experience abuse sometimes on a daily basis. Medical errors, physical abuse, or stealing from them could all be classified as abuse. All around the world today, a population that is not able to help itself is being harmed, whether it is physical or sexual abuse, exploitation, or not being properly supervised; the elderly and nursing home residents are being abused.

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

One way elder abuse or elder mistreatment can be defined is, “intentional actions that cause harm or create a serious risk of harm, whether or not intended, to a vulnerable elder by a caregiver or other person who stands in a trust relationship to the elder” (Bonnie & Wallace). There are seven main forms of elder abuse which include emotional, physical, psychological, sexual, financial, neglect, abandonment, and self-neglect (Cohen, Levin, Gagin & Friedman, 2007; Fulmer, 2008; Thompson & Priest, 2005). Even though only 6.2% of victims are abused in long-term care settings, my experience of witnessing neglect and abandonment are very serious (Teaster et al., 2006).

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

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.

The third study provided a synthesis of previous literature on elder abuse in long-term care facilities within the last decade (Castle et al., 2015). Therefore, this study covers the years 2003 through 2012 (Castle et al., 2015). The study included analysis of 88 articles pertaining to elder abuse. This review study searched MEDLINE and the CINAHL databases for information pertaining to elder abuse in nursing homes (Castle et al., 2015).

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,”

The best solution for elderly abuse is prevention. Preventing abuse is one way to educate future residents and victims of elder abuse about how to deal with this situation. There are many prevention programs across the nation, but one in particular is known as The National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (NCPEA). This association was established in the year 1988 to serve as information and materials on abuse and neglect for older persons in long-term care facilities. This committee’s purpose is to educate the public about neglect and abuse towards elders, to respond to the needs of victims, to support and inform the rights of an individual, to strengthen emotions to those who are victims, and of course to prevent any mistreatment before it occurs.

Harbison, J., etc. (2012). Understanding “Elder Abuse and Neglect”: A critique of assumptions underpinning responses to the mistreatment and neglect of older people. Journal of elder abuse & neglect, 24(2), 88-103.

“The number of older people who are at risk of mistreatment and abuse is likely to grow as the proportion of older people in the population continues to increase (HSE, 2012.pp.1-1).” Safeguarding adults is acknowledged as a critical issue for society. Abuse is become a common phenomenon in every society regardless of status, age, culture, race. It is one of the worldwide problems. Elder abuse is the most invisible social problems of society because it exists within the family and professionals may not recognise the abused person (Kosberg1998).Abuse is a hidden and often ignored problem (Department of Health, 2010). An elder abuse includes passive and active neglect, physical (including sexual) mistreatment, psychological abuse, theft or misappropriation

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 described in Module 13, there are several theories that could describe the cause of elder abuse. One of the theories describes stress as a leading cause of elder abuse by stating that “stress, frustration and feelings of burden experienced by caregivers who are caring for dependent elders can result in abusive and neglectful treatment” (Loseke, pg. 192). A second theory, argues that dependency from caregivers on victims cause elder abuse and not vice versa or stress. According to Loseke, “abusers were found to be significantly more dependent on the elder,” therefore, the abuse was linked not the victim’s dependency but the abusers’ (Loseke, pg. 2150). As well, researchers failed to “support the notion that the illness and dependency of

Psychiatrists are obliged to report when elder abuse is suspected or identified. Failure to report is a lapse not only in ethical obligations but also has legal implications (1). APS is the single, dedicated, authorized victim services system for elder abuse. It exists in every community in the U.S, operating under state laws. APS receive reports of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation of older people, and in most states, of younger adults with severe disabilities (3). Although older adults tend be frequent visitors to the doctor office, physicians rarely report suspected abuse, because bruising is common in elderly, but the Adult protective services workers have learned to be suspicious of excessive or unusual bruising when they report

The author made a compelling case for the meaning and significance of the study findings. The author increased the knowledge regarding how the criminal justice system responds to the cases of elder abuse in nursing homes and the failure to report abuse. However, the study results showed that the implications include the need for broader penalties and the increase of training of human services professionals.