Elderly Abuse and Neglect

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Recommended: Effect of abuse and neglect

When discussing abuse and neglect we often think of children first. That being said, children are not the only ones who will be abused and/or neglected. In fact, this happens to some elderly as well. While some elderly may be productive enough to care for themselves, others are not. The end result is a complete (or close to complete) dependency on someone else for their needs. In addition, just like with children, this dependency can lead to abuse and/or neglect.

There has been an increase in the number of elderly that have been subjected to violence and mistreatment. This type of treatment is associated with the individual’s dependency on others; whether it be a relative, acquaintance and/or institution (Meadows, 2010). According to estimates “between 1 and 2 million Americans aged 65 years or older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for case or protection (National Research Council Panel to Review Risk and Prevalence of elder abuse and neglect, 2003)” (Meadows, 2010, p. 87). The type of abuse that elderly get subjected to is not only physical, it may also be emotional. Obviously, abuse may take on many different forms and may include: financial abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. This abuse is not limited to certain circumstances it can happen in poor, middle-class or upper income household. This includes a variety of demographs and ethnicities (Meadows, 2010). Anyone may potential cause abuse and/or neglect.

Neglect gets broken up into two types, passive and active (Meadows, 2010). Passive neglect is when “the primary caregiver, perhaps a son or daughter, for some reason is unable to provide required care” (Meadows, 2010, p.88). Active negle...

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...ept that someone close to you may treat another person in that manner. There are all kinds of reasons people may choose not to report the abuse to police. This can apply to the victim, caregiver or bystander; especially when severe legal penalties apply. People begin to second guess whether notifying law enforcement is the right action to take.

Works Cited

Conklin, J.E., Criminology, 10th edition, Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2007.

Meadows, R.J., Understanding Violence and Victimization, 5th Edition, Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2010

Payne, B. K. and Gainey, R. R. (2006). The Criminal Justice Response to Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes:. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n3/67.payne/payne.pdf

Woolf, L. M. (1998). Elder Abuse and Neglect. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/abuse.html

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