...Elder Abuse in Residential Care Facilities Elder abuse is a catch all term referring to any deliberate or negligent act by a care giver or any other individual that results in harm or a major risk of harm to a vulnerable adult over the age of 60 years (Stefanacci & Haimowitz, 2013, p. 68). Under the umbrella definition for elder abuse, more specific types of abuse can be identified such physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, exploitation, neglect and abandonment (Stefanacci & Haimowitz, 2013, p. 68). The physical abuse refers to the infliction, or threat to inflict, physical harm onto an elderly individual or the deprivation of their basic needs. Sexual abuse is defined as any form of nonconsensual sexual contact. Exploitation refers to the illegal misuse, theft, or concealment of an elderly individual’s funds, assets, or property. Neglect is the failure or refusal of a formal or informal caregiver to supply the vulnerable elder in their care with shelter, food, health care, or protection. Abandonment refers to the desertion of the vulnerable elder by either a legal custodian or anyone who has assumed responsibility for their care (Stefanacci & Haimowitz, 2013, p. 68). Residential care facilities (RCFs) have a multitude of different names across the Unites States but are most commonly referred to as assisted living facilities (ALFs), adult congregate living facilities, domiciliary care homes, and shelter care homes. Since the mid 1990’s, RCFs have made up one...
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...The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study, conducted by the National Center on Elder Abuse at the American Public Human Services Association for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, examined the prevalence of elder abuse in the United States. It found approximately 450,000 elderly persons were abused or neglected (Wallace, 2005). While the majority of abuse happens in the home by a family member, there is a rise in the amount of elderly abuse being reported in nursing homes. In 2000, states were asked to indicate the number of elder abuse reports received from nursing homes. Based on figures from 54 states, the total number of reports was 472,813 (Teaster, 2003). A study prepared by the minority staff of the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee found that 30% of nursing homes in the United States, 5,283 facilities, were cited for almost 9,000 instances of abuse from 1999 to 2001 (Waxman, 2001). The report stated that 1,601 of these instances could have or did cause the resident serious injury or death. The instances reported ranged from physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, bedsores, inadequate medical care, malnutrition, dehydration, preventable accidents, inadequate sanitation and hygiene. Some other shocking finds of the report were that more than 40% of the abuse violations were not reported until formal complaints was brought by residents or family members. 1,327 of the nursing homes were cited more than once...
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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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...Running head: NURSING ROLES IN THE THREE LEVELS Nursing Roles in the Three Levels of Health Promotion and Prevention April Nguyen Grand Canyon University: NRS 429v 03/18/2012 Instructor Melinda Darling, MSN, FNP Nursing Roles in the Three Levels of Health Promotion and Prevention For over a decade, health promotion and prevention has been the main focus of healthcare professionals in general and nurses in particular. What does it mean by health promotion and prevention? According to Edelman & Mandle (2010), it’s “the science and art of helping people change their lifestyles to move toward a state of optimal health” (p. 14). In other words, it’s the strategy used in purpose to increase a sense of well-living and to decrease episodes of illness that can happen to anyone at any age. By doing this, it helps lessen the expensive cost government and patients have to spend for the cure. Being alongside with the vulnerable population, nurses work as critical roles of advocates, healers, educators, and researchers throughout all three levels of promotion and prevention (Edelman & Mandle, 2010, p. 19-20). Primary Prevention The focus of the first level is to promote good health and to protect individuals from diseases. There’re many ways nurses can help with general health and with fighting specific illnesses. The most common ways include (1) educating benefit of vaccination, (2) giving vaccines, (3) instructing benefits of healthy diet and regular exercise...
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...Vulnerable adults are among most vulnerable of the populations, many people associate vulnerability with old age only, resulting in negative stereotypical views. Understanding the concepts of vulnerability as relates to adults population, examines how and why adults could be vulnerable will help nurse to educates the vulnerable adults about the rights and choices available to them, enabling nurse to safeguarding the vulnerable adults and empower the vulnerable adults to participate fully in the society. Data Sources. Data source include the Nursing Standard, The PubMed, Health & Social Care information Centre (hscic), Department of Health, Action on Elder Abuse, Offices of National Statistics (ONS), electronic databases were used to search for research papers, articles published between 2000-2013. The searching keywords used are ‘Vulnerable’, ‘Abuse’, ‘vulnerability’, ‘safeguarding’. Seventeen papers from variety of disciplines, including nursing, public health, social-care and medicine were reviewed. Method. The concept analysis was done using Rodgers’ evolutionary method. Rodgers (2000) method of concept analysis was chosen because it is evolutionary in nature. Rodger method is not a fixed phenomenon but evolves over time. Surrogate Terms/Related Every disciplines ranging from economics and anthropology to psychology, science and engineering use the term vulnerability. The term vulnerability originates from the word vulnerable. According to...
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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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...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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...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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...Vulnerable Populations-Part 1 Jane Doe University of Phoenix Nursing 531 June 25, 2012 Georgetta Baptist A vulnerable population is defined as “those at risk for poor physical, psychological, or social health” (de Chesney, 2012). There are many vulnerable populations and this paper will concentrate on the elderly. According to Walsh (2009), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), states the elderly are considered anyone 65 years old or older. With the increased lifespan of elderly, there have become new demographics of young old (65-74), old (75-84), and oldest old (85 & over), and the frail old (anyone over 65 with physical or cognitive disabilities). The US census bureau estimated in 2011, the population of elderly persons 65 and over living in the U.S. to be 311,501,917. Between 2000 and 2010, the population 65 and over grew at a faster rate than any other population in the United States, 15.1% compared to 9.7% of the rest of the US population. Thirteen percent of the population is elderly; 55.2% are married, 32% live with family members, 51.7% are female, 48.3% are male, 60% are white, 17% are black, 18% are Hispanic, and 5% are other races. Education wise, 10.9% have less than a 9th grade , 10.3% have attended between 9th and 12th grade but did not receive a diploma, 36.4% are high school graduates, 20.6% have some college, and 22.5% have Bachelor’s degree or greater. It is estimated that elderly between the ages of 65-84 are doubling as the baby...
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...body of the essay---] Age (Center the heading and bold.) [note: Use headings to help the reader know what you are writing about--] There is a rapid increase in the number of oldest-old on the horizon (the baby boom generation) who make up most of the frail numbers in this group. There are a few videos we found on u-tube portraying the elderly for example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVh2EGxEIyE Older adults do whatever they can to adapt their homes and activities to accommodate the changes that occur with age. Despite the challenges that arise due to physical changes, the death of a spouse or partner, sudden illness, or other events, nearly all older adults report that their very strong preference is that they age in place their own home. Doing so provides a sense of self-determination and independence, even if they need assistance to achieve these outcomes. Misconceptions about nursing homes are common. Contrary to what some people believe, only about 5% of older adults in the United States live in nursing homes (Centers for Disease Control, 2010c). Communities must take into consideration the older adult when they are constructing housing for them. Living...
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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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...of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1997. Many policy initiatives have been introduced in terms of financial support, better housing, and long-term care services. For active ageing, an innovative project known as the ‘Elder Academy’ aimed at promoting intergenerational cohesion, which is now under threat owing to changing social patterns. With the rapid increase in the number of ‘old-olds’, more resources on dementia care, community support, professional staff development, carer training, and coordination of care are necessary. In terms of financing, shared responsibility is the only viable option. In the 2012-13 budget speech, a pilot for community care service voucher as a means of promoting ageing at home was announced. As the coming cohorts of elders are more affluent and knowledgeable, they tend to be healthier and have different demands and expectations, such as independent living with better quality of life. The private sector may explore the markets of community care services and elder-oriented products. To meet the emerging needs, a holistic approach should be adopted, with modifications of the labour laws to make use of the talents of elders and to provide more flexible work arrangements for family members to care for elders. Key word: Health services for the aged AN UNFORESEEN SITUATION “Population ageing is first and foremost a success story for public health policies as well as social and economic development.”1 Population ageing is attributable...
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...Child Sexual Abuse – Past, Present and Future Donna Hurst University of the Cumberlands HSOL 331 April 13, 2013 ABSTRACT This paper explores the issue of child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse of a child has become a major social issue in not only the United States but the entire world. It is imperative that society learns all they can about this issue. As a whole, society needs to discover the indicators of sexual abuse, the appropriate ways to report suspected abuse and how to help those that have been abused so they are not continually victimized by their past. This paper will explore child abuse and child sexual abuse in six parts. The first part will begin with the earliest references of child abuse as a whole. The second part will continue on to the emergence of the issue of child abuse on the social and political scene. The third part of this paper will show when and how sexual abuse first became recognized as part of the child abuse issue. The fourth part of this paper will move into the effects of child sexual abuse. The fifth part will cover child sexual abuse intervention methods and the sixth part will focus on the treatments available to help victims in the present as well as the future. PART ONE: CHILD ABUSE’S PAST In the ancient world, infanticide was common practice in nearly all cultures. Children were killed at birth if they did not seem fit. Fathers were permitted to kill their newborns if they deemed the child was abnormal. Children that showed signs...
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...Clin Soc Work J (2014) 42:323–335 DOI 10.1007/s10615-014-0496-z ORIGINAL PAPER Trauma Through the Life Cycle: A Review of Current Literature Shulamith Lala Ashenberg Straussner Alexandrea Josephine Calnan • Highlight every key term that refers to the following key concepts: 1) "trauma" generally a) "large T trauma" b) "micro-trauma" 2) "resilience" Published online: 31 May 2014 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014 Abstract This paper provides an overview of common traumatic events and responses, with a specific focus on the life cycle. It identifies selected ‘‘large T’’ and ‘‘micro’’ traumas encountered during childhood, adulthood and late life, and the concept of resilience. It also identifies the differences in traumatic events and reactions experienced by men compared to women, those related to the experience of immigration, and cross generational transmission of trauma. Descriptions of empirically-supported treatment approaches of traumatized individuals at the different stages of the life cycle are offered. Keywords PTSD Á Large-T and micro-traumas Á Neurobiology Á Gender differences Á Immigrants Á Treatment approaches The past is never dead. It’s not even past. William Faulkner The conflict between the will to deny horrible events and the will to proclaim them aloud is the central dialectic of psychological trauma. Judith Lewis Herman S. L. A. Straussner (&) Silver School of Social Work, New York University, 1 Washington...
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... 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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