...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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... | 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...
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...Elderly Abuse and Neglect The Problem: • Elderly abuse is a single or repeated act of inflicting physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, or financial harm to an elderly. Neglect is the failure of a career to provide the necessities of life to a person for whom they are caring. • Types of elder abuse: Elderly abuse can take many forms, the main ones are: Physical abuse: which is the physical act of violence that commonly includes slapping, hitting, and striking with objects. Psychological abuse: which is defined as an act that is carried out against the elderly adult with the intention of causing emotional pain or injury, and it often accompanies physical abuse. Examples include threats, insults, and statements that humiliate the elderly. Exploitation: which is the most common form of abuse of the elderly, it includes acts of material or financial exploitation, exploitation is the most difficult type of elderly abuse to diagnose as the victim may not be aware of its occurrence or may not know how to seek help. Neglect: which is counted as a form of abuse and is often referred to as failure of a caregiver in meeting the needs of the dependent elderly person. This may be intentional or unintentional neglect. Intentional neglect: is to willfully withhold food or medications or medical care from the elder that needs it. Unintentional neglect could result from ignorance or from genuine inability to provide care. For example, the caregiver may be unable...
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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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...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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...Elderly Abuse and Neglect By Kenneth Barnes Herzing University Online W4A1 March 30, 20 According to “Merriam-Webster” sacrosanct is defined as most sacred inviolable: secure from assault or trespass, treated as holy: immune from criticism or violation. This is how we viewed our elderly in the past (particularly the eldest male) as patriarchs of the family these are the individuals that guided, shaped and molded our cultural and ethical knowledge. “Growing awareness of family violence, however, has shown this view to be faulty, first with the "discovery" of child neglect and abuse in the 1960s, followed by spouse abuse in the early 1970s, and elder neglect and abuse in the mid-1970s” (Hudson,2002). Fast forward to present day we find that these individuals are regarded as obsolete relics and are treated as such. An article in the Encyclopedia of Aging points out that elderly abuse has been in existence since the beginning of human history. Although violence varies from society to society and culture to culture the manner in which the elderly are subjected to this violence depends on that society or culture. In some cultures older adults are respected and honored while in others they are viewed as a burden. The latter lends itself to the abuse of the elderly. Early examples of elder neglect and abuse include adult sons killing their aged parents in Teutonic societies and Native American tribes abandoning their elders when they can no longer travel (Sumner). The article...
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...can be together. She is a nurse. She sometimes tells my family sad stories about elderly living lonely in rehab center. I get more sorrow feeling after I read some articles about elders are often abused in nursing home or at their own house. Therefore, I want to discuss about...
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...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 and abandonment which is an emotional factor. Some Physical factors could be; getting abused, either within the family or the community (ageing...
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...Elderly Care Ethical issue Paper Oshein Robinson Abstract When we are 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...
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...The elderly population of the world are a vulnerably population to abuse. Most of the time elderly individuals rely on a caregiver or family member to help with their basic needs and without them, they would be hopeless to themselves. Conditions and circumstances that increase the likelihood of elderly abuse are poor physical and mental health of elderly person, elderly in hospitals, nursing homes, or long-term facilities, and lack of funds to pay for care (2) Those of poor physical and mental health are usually the individuals which are abused more (2). These individuals are unable to protect themselves and are high mistreated because the elderly individual cannot do anything to change the situation. In institutions, abuse of elderly can be...
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...Mental health concern is becoming more common in today’s society. However, there is a raising concern for the correlation between aging and mental health. With age comes health concerns due to the fact that all organ systems in the body undergo an aging process. Mental illnesses in older adults include, but are not limited to: depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This paper will discuss the raising concern of mental health and aging, new treatment options, approaches to mental health in the elderly, and recent studies conducted on each of these critical and debilitating diseases. Depression is a very common, yet devastating disease originating from the brain. It can affect...
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... 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 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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...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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