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Outline of an informative essay elder abuse
Outline of an informative essay elder abuse
Outline of an informative essay elder abuse
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Elders in the United States should not have to go through situations of abuse like the one Mildred Mortenson suffered. However, this type of situations happen more often than they should and sadly, there is not enough being done to prevent it. Elder abuse should be recognized as an increasing and very serious problem in our society. As elders grow more physically frail and begin to depend on others to meet their basic needs, they tend to become vulnerable to intentional abuse and neglect within their own home as well as assisted living facilities such as nursing homes. Unfortunately, it is not possible to know exactly how many elders are being abused across the Nation. Due to under-reporting, variations in the definition of elder abuse, and the lack of a uniform reporting system, it is difficult to determine the gravity of this issue causing the problem to remain hidden. However, researchers have reported that “According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection” (Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation in an Aging America). The disturbing situation on elder abuse that the nation is currently facing can be prevented if the government, associations, and assisted living facilities provide effective interventions. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, more than half a million cases of elder abuse are reported yearly. They estimate that only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse reaches the authorities and for every 1 case of elder abuse reported, about 5 remain unknown. It is also noted that white female elders are abused at a higher rate than males and that the ... ... middle of paper ... ...ce of Elder Abuse and Neglect. Web. 14 Nov. 2003. Elizondo, Amy “Personal Communication” 4 Nov. 2013. Dossey, James P. The Problem of Elder Abuse and Current Solutions in Texas. Rep. Dossey & Jones PLLC, 01 June 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Kohn, Robert, and Wendy Verhoek-Oftedahl. "Caregiving and Elder Abuse." Medicine & Health Rhode Island 94.2 (2011): 47-49. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Lachs MS, Williams CS, O'Brien S, Pillemer KA, Charlson ME. “The mortality of elder mistreatment.” Journal of the American Medical Association (1998) 428–32. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. Muehlbauer, M, and PA Crane. "Elder Abuse and Neglect." Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services 44.11 (2006): 43-48. CINAHL with Full Text. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. National Center on Elder Abuse. US Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Elder abuse is a very sad reality. With an understanding of what the term elder abuse encompasses, who is at risk, what the warning signs are, the statutes that are there to protect the elderly, who is mandated to report the abuse, and how to report the abuse, it is important to minimize the crime. As with all things, the most important way to prevent something from happening is to educate, and elder abuse is no different. If care takers had education about the numerous resources there are, such as support groups and counseling, elder abuse could possibly be decreased exponentially.
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.
Did you know that, according to the National Institute of Justice website, “There are few reliable national measures of elder abuse. This is partially because there is no uniform reporting system for elder abuse in the U.S.” ("Extent of Elder Abuse Victimization," 2015). It is sad that, in a country as developed as ours, we have no standard way of reporting elder abuse.
Rodríguez, M. A., Wallace, S. P., Woolf, N. H., & Mangione, C. M. (2006). Mandatory reporting of elder abuse: Between a rock and a hard place. Annals of Family Medicine, 4(5), 403-409. doi:10.1370/afm.575
...how kindness to them. Unfortunately, many caregivers take advantage of the elderly by taking their money, by using violence and sexual interference, and by abusing clients emotionally. 96% of elder abuse cases are not reported. ( Medscape.com). The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (ONPEA) is an organization dedicated to raising awareness about abuse and neglect of older abuse. (onpea.com). It stands to reason that there is a large problem still rampant in society where others are taken advantage of, or mistreated. Hopefully more documented information and raising awareness of the issue amongst society will allow more people to understand this as a problem and the abusers to be caught. These obvious abuse of rights are something that should be protected, luckily people become more aware of these circumstances that is happening on a regular basis.
Of nursing home staff interviewed in 2004, nearly 40% admitted to committing at least one psychologically abusive act toward a resident and 10% admitted to physically abusing a resident in the preceding year.[1] Not only are nursing home residents at risk of being abused by their caretakers but they are also at risk of being restrained, which may lead to a form of abuse. With five percent of the elderly population, or one to two million instances of elder abuse occurring yearly there is no doubt that elder abuse deserves serious consideration.[2]
Though elderly abuse occurs in many nursing homes, it is preventable. It is the nursing aide 's responsibility to provide quality and comfortable care, free from abuse. Many people are not aware that there are several other types of abuse in addition to physical abuse and many are not aware of the signs. If abuse should occur, anyone who suspects or witnesses the abuse is responsible for reporting it. Knowing the types of abuse, being aware of the signs, and reporting incidents are all ways to prevent abuse in nursing homes.
With respect to older women, the issue is that there is a serious lack in differentiating between elder abuse and domestic violence. The discrepancy causes confusion as to what agency to report either volunteered or mandated cases of abuse (Kilbane & Spira, 2010). Furthermore, it is because of reporting errors that victims of abuse may not receive the services that are congruent to the type of abuse (Kilbane & Spira, 2010) indicating, “…a lack of centralized reporting of cases….” (Kilbane & Spira, 2010, p. 165).
Now, you can see that Nursing Home abuse is a big problem in America. You might want to get involved in our local program against nursing home abuse. I will leave you with one last statistic, 1 out of every 8 nursing home patients are abused in some way. Wouldn’t you like to help them?
Kleinschmidt, Kurt C. 2005. “Elder Abuse: A Review.” Annals of Emergency Medicine. Retrieved October 29, 2017 (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196064497700064).
Most experts agree that reports have increased over the past 30 years because professional have become more likely to report apparently abusive and neglectful situations. But the question remains: How many more cases still go unreported?
Elderly abuse is growing every day as people live longer than before because of modern medicine. The older people lives, the more abuse they face. Elders suffer abuse because of poor health, low income, the death of loved ones and the loss of functions. In some circumstances, the abuser might be a family member or a caregiver
Many of our elders are abused or neglected. Elder abuse is any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a family member or other caregiver that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an elderly person as defined by (Thobaben). In her article “How Many of the Elderly are Abused or Neglected?” Mari Jensen states that an estimated 1 million to 2 million elderly people are victims of abuse or neglect. This problem received the name of “granny bettering” when it first hit the news in 1978. However, there is a big absence of exploration into abuse of the elderly. Our elders are our past and we will all be affected by this abuse in one way or another. Neglect is when certain provisions such as food and clothing are withheld from people who
Medical professionals should also became familiar with the signs of elder abuse and neglect. Doctors and some other professionals are mandated reporters to law enforcement, Adult Protective Services (APS) or their county’s Office of Aging. If doctors and other health professionals are made aware of the signs, they will be more effectively be able to report these cases to the proper agency. An article including a study done on elder abuse states, “Older adults typically know their perpetrators, who are usually family members (e.g., spouse, adult child, grandchildren, nieces/nephews), friends, and others they trust and rely upon for help and services (Roberto 305).”
Gender-based violence has been recognized as a large public health problem as well as a violation of human rights worldwide. One out of three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in another way at least once in her life (www.infoforhealth.org). The abuser is usually a member of the family, introducing the difficult problem in that the abuse usually happens behind closed doors, and is often viewed by cultural norms and legal systems as a family matter rather than a crime.