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Theories of elder abuse essay
Causes and consequences of elderly abuse
Elder abuse introduction
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The number one priority of the Registered Nurse should be to provide holistic, patient-centred, safe and evidence based care to every patient. Patients who are admitted into hospital or seek healthcare services externally through clinics or the community usually expect to receive the safest and highest quality of care possible from that facility. Registered Nurses have a major responsibility to ensure that this is achieved. To help guide nurses and other healthcare workers in the right direction, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) created and enforced the “Registered Nurse Standards for Practice”. These standards aim to assist healthcare practitioners in providing high quality and safe care to every client. The standards also …show more content…
Abuse can be physical, emotional, financial, social, nutritional, sexual and/or general neglect (Dong, 2015, p. 01). It is an increasing and highly unaddressed area of elderly mistreatment which is known to have a severe impact on an individual’s quality of life (Castle & Beach, 2011, p. 12). According to Stephanie Wood in her article “Spotlight Swings on Elder Abuse as Inquiry and Royal Commission Examine Issue”, 6 percent of elderly Australians are abused by someone they trust every year and almost one third of the reported cases are based on financial matters. It is the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s (2014) view that regardless of whether the client is receiving care in hospital, residential aged care or even in their own home, they are entitled to be treated with dignity and …show more content…
02). Dementia, functional impairment and poor physical health are documented risk factors for financial exploitation (Lachs & Pillemer, 2015, p. 01). The presumed level of impact of abuse towards the elderly may be influenced by incorrect assumptions made due to the “ageing process” (Phelan, 2010, p. 02). This may mean that a patient who has been abused could appear frightened and confused, but is ignored because they were previously diagnosed with a cognitive impairing illness such as dementia and these are “normal” symptoms (Phelan, 2010, p.
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]
Standards are important aspects of nursing that a nurse must learn and implement every day for the rest of their nursing career. These standards provide for a nurse’s competence in the quality of care they deliver to the public. Standards offer a necessary guidance to nurses everywhere in an effort to ensure that people are treated correctly and ethically. Patients expect nurses to have a general knowledge of the medical realm and to know exactly what it is they –as nurses- are responsible for. Nurses need to have a sense of professionalism that enable the patient to feel safe and secure, knowing that a competent person is caring for him. A lack of professionalism does the opposite, making it impossible for a patient to trust or respect the nurse caring for him. Standards of nursing, if utilized correctly, give the nurse that sense of professionalism the patient is expecting. It insures for the safety of the patient and allows the nurse to provide quality health care that is expected of a medical professional.
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.
1. Legal, ethical and professional principle frameworks underpin all fields of nursing, and it is a requirement for all Registered Nurses to be competent and knowledgeable, act with integrity and maintain professional standards set out by Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2015). Working with multidisciplinary teams within our profession, it is important to acknowledge and recognise the way in which all the professionals are guided by law and their independent regulatory bodies. The needs of the individual patient is to be considered by doctors and nurses alike, who share professional values and are set out in the respective codes of practice, The Code (NMC, 2015) and GMC (2013).
Due to the increase of elderly people in the population the potential for mistreatment and abuse has
UCD and HSE (2012) 'Older People's Experiences of Mistreatment and Abuse' [online], available: http://www.ncpop.ie/userfiles/file/ncpop%20reports/Older%20People's%20Experience%20of%20Mistreatment%20and%20Abuse%20Final%20Version.pdf [accessed 24 April 2014].
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
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 Nation Council on Aging (NCOA), “approximately 1 in 10 Americans aged 60 and up have experienced some form of elder abuse. Some estimates range as high as 5 million elders who are abuse each year.” More specifically, a study based in New York estimated that 260,00 (1 in 13) older adults in the state of New York were victims of at least one form of elder abuse in the preceding year. The study revealed that major financial exploitation was self-reported at a rate of 41 per 1,000 surveyed, which was higher than self-reported rates o emotional, physical and sexual abuse or neglect. (NCEA, 2016). But, sadly with all of the issues of abuse only 1 in 14 cases of abuse get reported to authorities (NCOA, 2017). These situations of abuse are happening by both men and women, with 60% of the abuse performed by family members (NCOA, 2017). The population of elderly is increasing every year and with the elder being the most vulnerable we need to put an end to the incidences of abuse. Now that we have a better understanding of the prevalence and different forms of elder abuse that are present in our healthcare system, there is a question of why these things happen to elders specifically. Why are elderly patients subjected to these forms of
Elder abuse suffered at the hands of family members is quickly becoming a major societal problem that requires immediate attention. The American Psychological Association estimates that nearly two million older adults suffer some type of abuse, typically at the hands of family (Fleck & Schmidt, p. 2). However, this number is most likely a gross underestimate as many elderly victims choose not to come forward and report the crime fearing the impact it will have on the family relationship. More people are living longer today than ever before. As a result, family members are taxed with the responsibility of providing care to this expanding population and most are ill prepared for the burden it can create in one’s daily life. The stress this additional role brings can, in some cases, result in abuse toward the elderly individual (Linzer, p.165-66). Elder abuse can take many forms. It may be physical, emotional or sexual; psychological, financial and material exploitation and neglect and abandonment of the older victim (Corey Et Al, p. 251). Whichever form the abuse takes, the impact on the victim is devastating. It is not uncommon for the abused to be left suffering with depression, a sense of helplessness, fear, shame and low self-esteem (Linzer, p. 166).
Media attention of elderly abuse usually refers to the incidents of abuse in nursing or assisted care facilities. Although the prevalence of elderly abuse in nursing homes in America may suggest that nursing homes are a common source of elderly abuse, the data on abuse suggests that in most cases the abuse is inflicted by a family member or well trusted individual. The growing number of elderly over the age of 65 does have an impact on the rate of incidence of abuse in assisted care facilities. The number of elderly in nursing homes is increasing “3.2 million Americans resided in nursing homes during 2008” (National Center on Elder Abuse, 2014) And “in 2009, the National Center for Assisted Living reported that over 900,000 people nationwide lived in assisted living settings”( National Center on Elder Abuse, 2014). Data suggests one in three nursing homes have reported incidence of abuse. Studies of abuse show that the elderly abused in nursing homes only count for a small fraction of the number of elderly who suffer abuse. These statistics stated, it is clear to see the prevalence of elderly abuse.
Abuse is a deliberate action and will always violate an individual’s rights. Most abuse happens in the home setting, which is where a majority of caregiving occurs. Elder abuse can also take place in institutional settings such as retirement homes, hospice care and long-term care facilities. The majority of abusers are actually spouses or adult children, but is not limited to grandchildren and other members of family or community (Robinson, de Benedictis & Segal, 2013). The most common types of elder mistreatment are physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, or sexual. There are circumstances where financial exploitation and medical abuse are also seen.
Dougherty, L. & Lister, s. (2006) ‘The Royal Marsden Hospital manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures: Communication 6th Edition Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
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