Elder Abuse Essay

In order to get a better comprehension of the seriousness and the importance of public health problems in our society, this section addresses three cases describing elder and neglect abuse. The first example concerns financial abuse—the fastest growing area of abuse. There are sadly many people who are looking to take advantage of elders since they are often isolated and perceived as an easy target. According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (2014), two con men came to an 84-year-old man’s house and expressed to him that his fence needs to be repaired. The victim did not approve any repairs and was unaware any services has been done. But, one of the con man returned days later, stating that he had finished with the fence and demanded a large sum of money. The victim wrote a check for the amount he thought he owed. The con man was later arrested and charged with theft (Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, 2014). This case was an example of financial abuse since the two con men attempted to scam the elderly man out of his money for services that they did not provide.

The second case of elder abuse is neglect, when caregivers lack the knowledge to properly care over someone. Adult Protection Services (APS) are often called to investigate and to ensure that self-care services are provided for the elders. In one of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services cases of elder abuse and neglect, family members caring for an elder woman were apparently unaware that they were abusing the elder. The family members did not realize that the women were in poor health that led a neighbor to suspect physical abuse. The neighbor contacted APS to investigate. The APS reported that the elder woman...

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.... This offender is prone to be neglectful, engage in financial abuse, and may engage in sexual abuse. They have narcissistic tendencies and often feel that the victims deserved the mistreatment (Gorbien & Eisenstein, 2005). These perpetrators know where they can and cannot get away with their abusive behavior. They may go home and abuse children, spouses or an elder, however, they do not act abusive at work or attack their bosses.

Lastly, “sadistic” offenders often have sadistic personalities and take pleasure in hurting their victims. The perpetrators feel the importance of power by humiliating, terrifying, and harming others (Gorbien & Eisenstein, 2005). They often feel sexual arousal or pleasure in seeing someone else’s pain or fear. Sadistic offenders typically show lack of guilt, shame, or regret for their behavior in elder abuse and neglect cases.