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Why is elder abuse important to you essay
Elder abuse introduction
Elder abuse abstract sample
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Every American should have the right to live free from the fear of abuse. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. The National Center on Elder Abuse Administration on Aging (NCEA) stated, “In the United States, the 2010 Census recorded the greatest number and proportion of people age 65 and older in all of decennial census history: 40.3 million, or 13% of the total population. This “Boomer Generation” effect will continue for decades”. This suggests that with the population of elders increasing, the abuse of elders will grow much higher. Elder abuse if defined as intentionally causing harm to a vulnerable elder by a caregiver or someone they trust. There are five main types of abuse; Physical, sexual, neglect, emotional or psychological …show more content…
It can happen at home, in a nursing home, or even in public. Robinson, Saisan and Segal stated, “Sadly, two of the most common sources of elder abuse are abuse by a primary caregiver – often an adult child – and self-neglect.” Abuse happens every day. Many times, people suspect that their family member is abusing a loved one but are to ashamed to report it. Robinson, Saisan and Segal emphasize, “Everyone deserves to live with dignity and respect. The earlier you intervene in a situation of elder abuse, the better the outcome will be for everyone involved.” Another type or abuse that many tend to ignore is self-neglect. The Health and Wellness Resource Center reports, “Self-neglect is failing to preform essential, self-care tasks, to an extent that threatens personal health and safety.” Most times, the self-neglect is unintentional because the elder will refuse any type of help. “He or she may be in denial, feel ashamed about needing help, or worried about having to leave home. Don’t stop checking with the older adult, even if you are being brushed off…Sometimes a peer or neutral party, such as a geriatric care manager, may have a better chance or getting through.” When an elder refuses help one cannot force them to do something they don’t want to, but it is good to keep asking them if they want help so that when they do need help they are aware that someone is there for
According to Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services, there are three things that elder abuse can be classified as. It can be classified as abuse, neglect, or likelihood of serious physical harm. While all of these classifications sounds quite similar, there are some subtle differences. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services defines abuse as " the infliction of physical, sexual, or emotional injury or harm including financial exploitation by any person, firm, or corporation" ("Protective Services For Adults," n.d., para. 4). Elder neglect is "the failure to provide services to an eligible adult by any person, firm, or corporation with a legal or contractual duty to do so, when such failure presents either an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the client or a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm would result"("Protective Services For Adults," n.d., para. 4). Abuse, neglect, as well as likelihood of serious physical harm are all reportable by law. ("Protective Services For Adults," n.d).
Some of these cases of abuse are done in elderly homes by family members. In the first section of the article, the authors discuss the definition of elder abuse. The authors began with the most common types of elder abuse, which are physical and neglect. Elder abuse is the intentional use of physical force that results in acute or chronic illness, bodily injury, physical pain, functional impairment, distress, or death (Choi NG & Mayer J. In summary, the rhetorical analysis essay discusses how elder abuse and neglect affect the victims physically, emotionally, and professionally.
As you can see, I am not elderly and I have not experienced elder abuse personally, but I am a concerned American. The aging
Elder abuse is causing emotional, physical or sexual harm, financial exploitation, or intentional or unintentional neglect to someone of greater age, whether it be from a family member or a stranger. Elder abuse has been a social issue for many years prior to any kind of legislation being made. Victims of elder abuse are often older adults ages 60 to 75 and the person abusing the elder is usually someone the victim knows, but could be a stranger in certain cases.
The purpose of this paper is to determine the level of substance abuse in the elderly community. There is concern that as the population ages in the United States, there will be a significant increase in the number of older adults being treated for substance abuse problems. This paper seeks to understand the issues and concerns that are consequently involved with substance abuse among the elderly.
Nursing Home Abuse 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.
Elder abuse in nursing home is a social problem that has had more and more attention in these recent years. “Elder abuse is the most recent domestic violence issue to gain the attention of the public and the medical community.” (Elder Abuse: A Review) According to the Senate Special Committee, about 5 “million older Americans are abused and neglected every year.” Abuse for the elderly can be considered a social problem due to the people who are in denial of it actually occurring, for example, the caregivers and nurses who do not consider themselves to be actually performing the abuse. It is a problem because the elders are put into these nursing homes by loved ones and ones who
Population ageing is currently one of the most significant demographic trends and becoming a worldwide problem(cite) specially among the elderly who are often the most recognized and forgotten group in this analysis. They are recognized as the ’elder’ the wisest, and perhaps the most knowledgeable about life and its experiences. This population however, is forgotten in terms of the respect and value it once contributed to society. And in today’s world this group is often marginalized because of age. The older they get, the more useless they become in the eyes of society and thus this attitude viewed towards the elderly leads to neglect and abuse. They are therefore excluded from the active participation, and decision making in society. This isolated group is thus discriminated against on the basis of age and gender which can be referred to factors such as ageism and sexism. Nevertheless, these factors not only attribute to elder abuse but are viewed differently within subcultures. Therefore, it is important to examine why elder abuse occurs and what are its consequences in the context of human rights agenda.
Previous researchers have estimated that one in ten elderly individuals will experience sexual, physical, and psychological abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation (Greenlee, 2012). Therefore, it is suggested that as the elderly population continues to increase so will the prevalence of elder abuse while only a fraction of elder abuse cases are reported to the proper authorities
Elder abuse consists of physical abuse, neglect of food or shelter or abandonment (PSYC 426: Holstein & Waymack, 2011). American older adults are being abuse by their caregiver as well staff in a nursing home. An example of a protective service about elder abuse was stated on the National Council on Aging to help prevent elder abuse in the aging population through the Elder Protection and Abuse Prevention Act of 2013. However, as the older adult population continues to live longer, there will be a problem with elder abuse and neglect (PSYC 426: Stone,
America's burgeoning elder population has affected every segment of the social, political, and economic landscape. Public debate of the issues surrounding the special needs of the approximately 44 million persons in this country age 60 years and over has heightened national awareness and concern. As a result, public policies relating to issues such as retirement security, affordable long-term care, and quality of life are changing to meet the unique needs of the aging population. Yet, as the public looks toward improving the lives of the elderly, abuse and neglect of elders living in their own homes have gone largely unidentified and unnoticed. The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study has shed new light on this significant problem with the finding that approximately 450,000 elderly persons in domestic settings were abused and/or neglected during 1996. When elderly persons who experienced self-neglect are added, the number increases to approximately 551,000 in 1996. Additionally, through this study we have learned that:
According to many different studies done, about one in four elderly people living in a Long Term Health Care facility are abused, but only a small amount of these cases are reported and an even smaller amount are dealt with (Cooper et al., 2013). But what exactly is considered abuse? All the studies have this one aspect in common; they all agreed the abuse 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 or distress to an older person.” (Post et al., 2010)
Agesim is the unfair treatment and/or discrimination on the basis on someone’s age. Thus, another example of ageism might be when caregivers abuse their patients merely because they are old and vulnerable. One of the most prominent causes of elder abuse is caregiver stress and frustration (Elder abuse, 2014). Additionally, there are also forms of abuse other than physical abuse, such as taking over the elder’s residence or taking advantage of them financially. Furthermore, substance abuse is often a contributing factor when it comes to elder abuse as well (Elder abuse, 2014). For instance, some caregivers may begin to steal money or abuse the elder financially to pay for their drug habit. Thus, financial abuse in elders may be more common among
Some estimates range as high as 5 million elders who are abused each year. One study estimated that only 1 in 14 cases of abuse are reported to authorities”. Throughout the article, Elder Justice Initiative, Bethesda Pike informs the reader of the several forms of abuse such as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, neglect or abandonment and financial abuse. Pike also discusses the signs of abuse which includes unexplained bruises, burns, and injuries. In Elder Abuse, Sharon Wallace Stark presents the need for an increased awareness of elder abuse, identification of its signs and symptoms, and prevention initiatives. The reader is informed of the unreported abuse of the elderly and health care providers are stressed to know their responsibility to report the abuse. Although every state in the United States defines elder abuse, Stark acknowledges the inconsistency of the laws and definition of abuse among states. For example, the Adult Protective Services (APS) is available in every state, but assistance is only provided when the victim agrees or is shown mentally incapable to make decisions by the
The article discussed implications strategies for prevention of elder abuse. The major implications are awareness and education, intergenerational relationships, training of professionals, and empowerment of elders. Individuals need to be educated early on so that they will perceive the elderly as contributors to society. Intergenerational relationships will create a closer and positive relationship between generations. It will allow the younger population to respect the older population more. With proper training, professionals will be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of elderly abuse and know when and how to intervene. As a social worker, we play a very