Theories Of Elder Abuse

Elder abuse includes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as neglect, exploitation and abandonment of our older generation (Falk, 2012). The people that cause these injuries include the elderly person’s own family and staff members of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, medical rehabilitation facilities and hospitals (NCOA, 2017). There is approximately 1 in 10 older adults that have experienced some type of elder abuse in the United States (NCOA, 2017). Within these staggering numbers, only 1

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention standardly defines elder abuse as “any abuse and neglect of persons age 60 or older by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust” (CDC, Elder Abuse). It is always thought that the elderly are treated with honor, dignity and respect but many of the elderly have been abused and neglected as much if not worse than the children we spoke of in our previous discussions. Who seriously could hurt these frail people, someone’s grandparents, possibly even your own; persons who because of the aging process have lost their ability to fight back and are being bullied or attacked by someone in a position of trust. It is estimated that 70% to 90% of the perpetrators of elderly

Elder abuse is a family matter, most of the date indicated that adult children are the abusers. Spouses and other family members are also part of the abuse but not as much as adult children. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, almost 90% of abusers were family members and almost 62% of all cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of adults living at home engage abuse by the other people. You would think that caregivers would be more likely to mistreat the elders, since the elders are not family, sadly that is not the

This essay will examine elder abuse and its role in our society. The definition of elder abuse and the different types of elder abuse will be examined. Additionally, literature that highlight legislative changes to current elder abuse laws and the origins of those laws will be examined. The paper will also discuss national reports of elder abuse statistics and the current status of elder abuse. Finally, recommendations based upon the information researched will be provided as a guide for the future.

Abuse can happen to anyone, but elderly adults residing in nursing homes are more vulnerable and have a higher risk for abuse (Rasansky Law Firm, 2006, para. 1). Elders are among the fastest growing in the population, and because of this many more elderly

Abuse is intentionally causing physical pain, injury, or mental anguish to another. It can also be the lack of providing proper care (Nancy L. Falk, Judith Baigis, & Catharine Kopac, 2012). The perpetrator can be anyone, family member, friends, strangers, or even other healthcare professionals. According to the Elder Abuse Forensic Center (Elder Abuse Forensic Center, n.d.), mistreatment of individuals 65 and over can take the form of physical, sexual, emotional/verbal, and/or financial abuse, or any combination thereof, as well as neglect and self-neglect. Each of the categories will be discussed in the following paragraphs with a scenario.

Caregiver stress and living situation can therefore lead to abuse of these elders or residents. This happens because most Caregivers spend significant amount of time and patience caring for these vulnerable residents. Because most of them are not properly trained on how to handle such distressed activities, they can easily run out of patience with those residents who are suffering from some mental disorder and this could lead to abuse. This abuse may just stem from the caregiver’s frustration or it may become intentional if the assistant begins to openly resent the elderly people.

Neglect by the caregiver to accord services such as medicine, supervision, clothing, and shelter to an elder in a nursing home setting is regarded as psychological abuse. There have been cases where caregivers have neglected patients who are bedridden. Elders have also been denied regular baths by caregivers. There have been reports where patients who request for a two-person transfer are accorded a person transfer by the caregiver. Not providing toiletry services in time by the caregivers to the elder 's is also regarded as psychological abuse. There have been reports where caregivers refuse to turn off a call light and when requested to do so by the elders in the nursing home setting, they decline. The involuntary seclusion of elders by the caregivers is an example of psychological abuse that happens in the nursing home setting. In the Baltimore community, it has been documented that most of the psychological abuse perpetrated against elders in the nursing home setting is done by caregivers (Kohn et al., 2015).

Other at-risk groups include people who are socially isolated and people with mental impairments or dementia. While protecting the victim is of the utmost importance, it is vital to not forget the abuser because they are affected as well. Since most abuse happens at home by family members, that is who I am referring to as the abuser. The stresses of caregiving can be overwhelming. While elder abuse is never an acceptable response to any problem, no matter how stressful, many people who are thrust into the role of caregiving can find themselves ill-equipped for it. At its most innocent stage, a caregiver 's unintentional failure to provide proper care and support because of a lack of understanding or lack of skills is abusive behavior that can threaten the safety and well-being of the older adult, but instead of them being penalized it may be more productive to educate them.

The purpose of this research proposal is to examine the factors that contribute to elder abuse. The aim of the research is to view how the elderly

This scholarly journal looks at elderly abuse in general. It talks about different ways one can notice that the senior is being abused and what to do about the abuse. It also describes different reasons why the abusers abuse the elderly. It says how elderly abuse can be very difficult to notice and it is also difficult to help the seniors. The article then describes the difficulties that seniors have when they are abused. It talks a little about senior homes and how the elderly are treated by the nurses. It also gives some specific examples of abuse and the role of the government in this situation. This article is very opinionated and the author expresses her views on the topic very clearly.

To better understand the scope of the problem, it is crucial that society knows what is considered as elder abuse and why it is important to resolve this issue. Elder abuse refers to any intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. There are many forms in which an elder can be abused, “Elder Abuse and Neglect” Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services distinguishes between the five most common types of elder abuse as well as their effects and/or common signs and symptoms for each. These types of abuse include physical abuse,

Elder Abuse is defined as any activity performed by an individual whereby these actions cause suffering of the older adult, intentionally or not (Touhy, Jett, Boscart & McCleary, 2012, p. 378). Unfortunately, the incidents of elder abuse continue to rise with the increasing number of people entering older adulthood. It is interesting to note that although elder abuse is highly under reported its occurrence increased three fold over a ten-year period (Friese & Collopy, 2010, p. 61). Certainly, it is a nurse’s duty to provide holistic care to his or her patients, which must include protection from abuse. Elder abuse can take on many forms including physical, emotional, sexual, neglect and financial. It is important to note that for the

This briefing will provide an overview of best practices that have been established as effective methods during an interview with a child who has witnessed or been a victim in traumatic incidents such as kidnapping, abuse or homicide. There have been several studies conducted in the United States as well as internationally on the topic of interviewing children. In this briefing you will find the most common factors that scholars have established as being the most effective methods that hold up in court. First in this briefing we will discussed, the benefit of trained staff to conduct interviews, next the best practices that are established as reliable in court, then the cognitive interviewing technique and finally the goal of the child advocacy model.

When a child comes forward about any type of abuse, it could be very hard for them to speak about the abuse and sometimes a lot of time as passed after the abuse. For this reason it is vital that the interview process is conducted in a way that does not cause more trauma to the child. Several steps are needed to have a successful interview with a victim of abuse. A successful interview will help provide the MDT with information about the abuse, so that the child can get the best resources for recovery and so that the offender will be prosecuted.