Essay On Elder Abuse And Neglect

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In Singapore, the definition of an elderly is a person aged 65 years and older. Since 1965, the elderly population has increased remarkably from 47,200 to 331,100 in 2009. (State of the Elderly in Singapore, 2009, p. 8). Young Singaporeans now have a greater responsibility to support the elderly. However, these working-age population are often too stressed out by their work that they do not have to time to care for them. This creates a larger possibility of elder abuse and neglect.
Personally, I have come across newspaper articles reporting cases of domestic abuse. Generally, people linked domestic violence to women and children, but all too often, such atrocious acts happen to the elderly too. One example would be the elder abuse case that occurred in Nightingale Nursing Home. Three staffs were found ill-treating a 77-year-old woman by throwing her onto her bed and even slapped her, which resulted in a huge commotion. (Chong, 2012) These elderly have worked hard for their most of their lives and should be allowed to enjoy their golden years after retiring. Instead, they are often mistreated especially by the people they trust most; their children and care-givers. Most of the time, victims do not report these ill-treatment “out of fear of rejection and disruption of their lives; some out of pride, embarrassment or shame; some out of concern about their family’s privacy and some out of concern that legal action might be taken against the alleged abuser. Others feel that they deserve the mistreatment and resign to it fatalistically.” (Understanding Elder Abuse and Neglect, n.d., p.13). Assumptions that the public including myself have for this group are that they are weak, defenseless and trusting. Some of the elderly are either ph...

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...entres can hold events for the elderly once a month. During the event, the elderly will get to know more people and make new friends. When a friendship is forged, the elders will look out for one another. Should an elder suffer from domestic abuse, the friends of this elder can report the case to the authorities. Alternatively, social workers who are fluent in dialects can be stationed at the event to talk to the elderly. This makes them feel that they have a connection with the social workers and eventually be more comfortable to share their feelings.
As a final point, filial piety is highly valued in a society especially Asia. Everyone should treat the elderly with love and respect. No one should suffer in silence. Should anyone come across elder abuse, one must not be afraid to stand up and report the case. Elder abuse can be stopped if everyone work together.

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