...Congressmen, Since the 1970s, elder abuse has been increasingly recognized as a problem around the world. As the numbers of individuals 60 and over have expanded in the United States, so have the incidences of elder abuse. However, the currency of this growing complication have remained hidden from public view. Although a few representatives have tried to pass laws concerning elder abuse in the 1980s, none were ever passed. It is imperative that all lawmakers, congressmen, and citizens become more aware of this situation, and the many issues surrounding this sensitive issue for some. It is essential that the incidence of abuse and awareness of the range and breadth of various types of abuse be discussed and understood....
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...Elder Neglect and Abuse The latter years of a person's life have been called the "golden years" unfortunately the numbers of elders being abused are growing each year. Gray-Vickrey (2001) reports that neglect occurs in 49 percent of substantiated elder abuse cases, emotional abuse is found in 35 percent of cases, financial abuse is found in 30 percent of cases, and physical abuse or use of physical force is found in 25 percent of cases. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates more than half a million of our nation’s elders are mistreated each year, of course the numbers may be three times higher since few cases of abuse are reported or investigated (Axmaker, 2003). Experts estimate the number of older adults who are mistreated annually at more than two million (Swagerty, 1999, p.2804). A U.S. National Elder Abuse Incidence Study confirmed that reported elder abuse cases are only the "tip of the iceberg" (National Center on Elder Abuse, 2003). The study also shown that two-thirds of the offenders were adult children or spouses. Additionally, elders are being abused in nursing homes, hospitals, or other institutions; in one study, 36 percent of nursing home staff stated that they had witnessed at least one physical abuse incident with an elderly patient (Nelson, 2002). Clearly, elder mistreatment or abuse of the elderly is a growing social occurrence. Unfortunately, our elder population is considered to be easy targets because they are perceived to be fragile and defenseless...
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...Crimes against the elderly in socially organized and disorganized communities Table of Contents Introduction 4 Defining Elderly Abuse 7 Traditional Societies 8 The length of the problem 9 Institutional Settings 9 Risk factor for Elder Abuse 10 Individual factors 10 Factors of Relationship 11 Factors of Community and Society 12 The result of elder abuse 14 Domestic Settings 14 Treatment in institutions 14 Preventing Elder Abuse 15 Feedback from national level 16 Responses from local people 18 Social Service 19 Health Care 20 Legal Proceeding 21 Campaign to generate public awareness 22 Recommendations 23 Greater Knowledge 23 Causes of the abuse 24 Impact of abuse 24 Evaluating the process 24 Stringent laws 24 Basic Rights for Elders 25 Traditions 25 Other preventive measures 26 Conclusion 27 Reference 28 Introduction The history of elderly abuse is not a very new phenomenon. It can be traced back from a very early age if we flip through the sociological status of yesteryear. However with the passage of time and further defining a goal to reform child abuse and domestic violence, the objective of elderly abuse has also been considered in the agenda. Unlike other form violence, the elderly violence has come into limelight with the progress of public health and criminal justice. The issue of these two forms has paved a way to view, analyse and curb the issue on violence towards senior citizens of a society. This paper...
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...ELDER ABUSE IN NURSING HOMES: THE IMPACT OF DEMENTIA/SPECIAL CARE UNITS BY CHRISTINA KAY FALK THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Community Health in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013 Urbana, Illinois Adviser: Stephen J. Notaro, Ph.D. ii ELDER ABUSE IN NURSING HOMES: THE IMPACT OF DEMENTIA/SPECIAL CARE UNITS By: Christina K. Falk Elder abuse is a topic that impacts everyone in America at some point in their life. Special care units also called dementia units are protected areas in a nursing home that are specially designed for dementia/Alzheimer patients. This thesis reviewed how a special care unit in a nursing home affect the number and severity of deficiencies reported to Medicare. The data was collected from Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare system and the Illinois Public Health Department. This study reviewed 770 nursing homes in Illinois were reviewed, 141 had special care units during the time of data collection. The facilities had a range of total deficiencies from one to 74 with Level of Harm ratings ranging from one to four on a four-point scale. The results showed that residents in a nursing facility that has a special care unit are at a greater risk of a higher Level of Harm but no difference in the number of deficiencies. Possible causes of this greater risk are due to the intrinsic nature of the population in special care units, the need for policy and procedural...
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...three main movements that changed public perception: the emergence of research on hysteria, the study of combat neurosis, and the awareness of domestic and sexual violence. She describes the public enlightening process, “The systematic study psychological trauma therefore depends on the support of a political movement” (citation). Each generation brings pressing issues into the public consciousness; however, without the political backing, many forms of trauma go unnoticed...
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...ELDER ABUSE: IN NEED OF A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LEGAL FRAMEWORK ARTICLE IRISEL COLLAZO NAZARIO * Introduction ...............................................................................................................287 I. Defining Elder Abuse ........................................................................................ 289 A. Negligence ..................................................................................................... 290 B. Physical Abuse................................................................................................292 C. Emotional or Psychological Abuse.............................................................. 294 D. Financial Exploitation ...................................................................................295 II. Incidence and Prevalence ................................................................................. 296 III. Causes and Risk Factors .................................................................................. 298 IV. Dealing with the Problem of Elder Abuse ....................................................... 301 V. Mandatory Reporting ........................................................................................ 304 Conclusion and Final Recommendations ............................................................... 307 INTRODUCTION AS THE POPULATION SCHEME changes, the system faces new challenges. In 2000, the elders accounted for 16% of the total population in...
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...It can be stated that abuse can be conducted against the elderly when within the care of others. In this essay, I will be discussing the abuse, and the different types of mistreatment directed at the elderly in both care homes, and outside. I will be looking at what predicts elder abuse, the different types of abuse regarding some of the typologies made, the perpetrators involved, where it may occur, and the repercussions one may experience as an elder having been abused. Mistreatment can be defined as “Intentional actions that cause harm or create a serious risk of harm, whether or not intended, to a vulnerable elder by a caregiver or other persons who stands in a trust relationship to the elder” (Bonnie and Wallace, 2003, p.39.) The concept of ‘elder abuse’ is a moderately new idea although it has been occurring since the beginning of humanity, only having been focused on in Ireland since the 1980’s. Previously, it was primarily researched in the United States of America and the UK during the 1970’s. Nowadays there is more research done on elder abuse than ever before, as it is a growing topic of discussion, along with...
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... | Elderly 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...
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...Elder Abuse The fastest growing sector of our population is our seniors. It is estimated that in the next 15 years the number of seniors will double because of the aging of the baby boomer generation and the fact that we are simply living longer. As the numbers of our seniors increases so does the risk for elder abuse. Our society is scrambling to meet the needs of this new shift in the population and with it a subsequent awareness of elder abuse and neglect. Elder abuse can be defined as any abuse or neglect of older adults by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust (Center for Disease Control, 2014). Abuse can take many different forms and be interpreted in different ways but most authorities and agency recognize these as the most common forms of elder maltreatment. They are: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Psychological or Emotional Abuse, Neglect, Abandonment, and Financial Abuse or Exploitation. Often someone will suffer from more than one of these types of abuses. A less commonly recognized form of abuse is Self-Neglect. “Self-neglect is characterized as the behavior of an elderly person that threatens his/her own health or safety. Self-neglect generally manifests itself in an older person as a refusal or failure to provide himself/herself with adequate food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medication (when indicated), and safety precautions” (Department of Health and Human Services). Even with more awareness about...
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...talking about the word neglect or abuse it is usually associated with woman, children and or animals. We forget to think about elderly abuse, which is overlooked because there is plenty of elderly who can look after themselves and still be a valuable part of society, but we forget the ones who are not capable of that. This paper is about raising concern about the ethical issues of elderly being abused and mistreated. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Physical Abuse 5 PYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE 6 neglect & Financial ABUSE 6 Sexual abuse 6 scope of the problem 7 SOLUTION 8 Conclusion 8 Citations 10 Introduction Elder Abuse is any form of mistreatment that results in harm or loss to an older person, elder abuse can be divided into the categories of physical abuse which is physical force that results in any bodily injury or pain this can be assault battery, and inappropriate restraint. Psychological and or emotional abuse which is tearing down their self-esteem, and belittling them. Neglect which is just providing the necessities for everyday living such as food, shelter, health care or protection. Sexual abuse can also be elder abuse it is still non-consensual. Last there is exploitation which is illegal taking of senior benefits. Each year hundreds up to thousands of elders are abused, and neglected for many victims they cannot help themselves since they are older and frail. In the U.S. half a million reports of elderly abuse have reached authorities It is estimated...
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...articles about elders are often abused in nursing home or at their own house. Therefore, I want to discuss about...
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...partner abuse, as known as (IPV), is a problem amongst America that affects millions. The term intimate partner violence, describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. The abuse can occur among heterosexual or same-sex couples and does not necessary include sexual intimacy (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). There are many issues associated with intimate partner abuse and changes have occurred in recent times. The criminal justice system has made changes accordingly to protect the victim and ensure safety from the abuser. Elder abuse occurs to those who are older, vulnerable, frail, and cannot help themselves. Elder abusers can be men, women, family, or caretakers with no extent of harm they cause on the elder. Abuse is a problem that is present in today’s society among all race, genders, and ethnic groups. Special populations experience different types of victimization in society as well. The problem of abuse effects all individuals and many factors play a role in the abusers intent to harm. Intimate partner abuse is defined as any intentional act or series of acts that cause injury to the partner. The acts may consist of physical, emotional, or sexual (Wallace & Robinson, 2011). Intimate partner abuse occurs among all socioeconomic, religious, and cultural groups. Intimate partner violence is just as the term “family” it is ever-changing and dynamics differ. The issues associated with intimate partner abuse is first...
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...Domestic Violence and Elderly Abuse Policy By; Shay B. Young May 28th 2012 CJA 464/ Criminal Justice Policy Analysis Ronald Stock Domestic Violence and Elderly Abuse Domestic and elderly abuse is two forms of violence that happens to individuals from birth aged children to elderly individuals. Domestic and elderly abuse is a major issue that is experienced all around the world. These two forms of abuse and violence have many similarities, often times the abuse that starts as a child leads to abuse during adulthood. This paper will be going over the two forms of abuse, factors, statistics, and later a policy that is in place for the reduction of the two forms of abuse. Domestic Violence Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of behavior to gain power or control over another individual in a relationship. The abuse can come in forms such as physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological actions or threats coming from the control partner to the other partner. Domestic violence happens to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. Domestic violence affects all people throughout different backgrounds, social levels, and educational levels. Factors that perpetuate domestic violence As mentioned above there are different factors that play a role in a domestic violence setting. Culture factors may include but are not limited to gender, the role within the relationship, values, and acceptance of violence as a means to resolve...
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...Elder abuse is a type of abuse pushed upon a certain grouping of the population and in that regard can be compared to child abuse/couple violence. To fully comprehend and understand elder abuse, it demands in many ways its own sociological viewpoint, separate from the other types of abuse that specified parts of the population are subjected to. Some of the issues surrounding elder abuse that is reminiscent of the past studies of abuse, such as the difficulty in finding a universally accepted definition. Within the text it describes the lack of cohesion between agencies as the reason for the hold on new legislation protecting elders from this abuse. The definition provided by the American Psychological Association is as follows; “Elder abuse is the infliction of physical, emotional, or psychological harm on an older adult. Elder abuse can take the form of financial exploitation or intentional or unintentional neglect of an older adult by the caregiver” (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, Perrin 2011). This definition in comparison with other agencies is a little...
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...Throughout the years researchers have been studying ways to help the elder community, by developing programs to benefit the older generation in health related issues. The programs are forms of inclusive and therapeutic recreation. Therapeutic recreation (Bullock, Marhon and Selz, 1997) is defined as; “a purposeful intervention directed at the individual and his environment that aims to enhance health and impact functioning in many critical life domains.” Meaning that when looking at therapeutic recreation within the senior citizens is purposeful due to the change in body functioning. Programs can be developed to help the elderly stay active; some programs may be simply eating healthier foods or more advanced programs such as aerobic classes. The main ideas of these classes are to introduce programs that might expand their life span and improve physical capabilities. When dealing with the elderly, there are common changes that occur. Firstly, the body will not be in as good of shape compared to the past and secondly, experiences encountered may have an affect on your life, such as; friends passing away etc. Therefore, when dealing with elderly, the programs need to be created with these aspects in mind. Three main areas dealing with improvements are; Physical, Emotional, and Mental. When the body is changing you start to rely on others to help you with daily chores and activities. Sometimes, families are not willing to help those in need and go through the feeling of loneliness...
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