...As human beings we age, but as a nation we are not focused on aging as a social problem. However, the older we get the more dependent we become on our younger generations to provide our basic needs. Elders in our family then become a burden, a stressor, an inconvenience to our daily life, and a financial responsibility. As a family and support system, you adapt to the ever changing situation or you work with health care institutions to offer support to your loved one that you can no longer deliver. In an ideal world, your elder would be in a place of comfort to live the rest of their life. However, institutions and caregivers do not always provide this ideal standard of care which in turn may lead to elder neglect and abuse. With many varying...
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...the historical development of an awareness of family violence in terms of the 1960s being the decade of sensitivity to child abuse, the 1970s to spouse abuse, and the 1980s to elder abuse (Kosberg, 1988). Elder abuse became a public issue in 1978 with testimony given to a congressional subcommittee on the abuse of elderly parents (Wolf, 1988). In 1988, the National Aging Resource Center on Elder Abuse (NARCEA) conducted several national surveys that revealed problems across states relative to the reporting of elder abuse. Although authorized in 1987 but not funded until 1990, the Elder Abuse Prevention Program was established under the Older Americans Act, enacted in 1975 (Goldstein, 1995). Greater awareness of this...
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...describes 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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...advantage of the elderly are their own family members. Elder abuse has a negative impact on the victimized elders worldwide. It is defined as intentional actions that cause harm or create a serious risk of harm (whether or not harm is intended) to a vulnerable elder by a caregiver or other person who stands in a trust relationship to the elder. This includes failure by a caregiver to satisfy the elder’s basic needs or to protect the elder from harm (Bonnie, R, & Wallace, R Eds., 2003). Although there is a lack of statistical information of elder abuse, there are sources that provide proof that elder abuse is a bigger issue than people perceive it to be. It can occur in many forms such as physical, emotional, financial and sexual abuse. In this paper, the question being investigated is “How knowledgeable are Barbadians on the effects of elder abuse?” The following literature reviews attempts to answer this question. Review of Findings: Each literature piece that has been reviewed pointed out that elder abuse is a major issue and is a topic that is given little recognition or response. According to Penny Bain and Charmaine Spencer, 2014, about 80% of abuse or neglect of older adults is hidden or goes undetected in Canada. Only about one in five cases of abuse come to the attention of community agencies or authorities. The article goes on to describe that it is such because in most cases the elders have grown accustom to the abuse resulting in the impression that it is a custom or...
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...Assignment 4, Part 1: Research Project Draft Submission Clarissa Ensley Instructor: Timothy P. Kelly CRJ 105: Crime & Criminal Behavior August 25, 2013 Elder abuse is a serious problem in this country and around the world. The National Center for Victims of Crime (2008) reports: “In the United States, there are presently about 39 million individuals over the age of 65; the U.S. Census Bureau projects that more than 62 million Americans will be 65 or older in 2025.” In a current report, the U. S. Census Bureau (2010) reports, “Between 2010 and 2050, the United States is projected to experience rapid growth in its older population. In 2050, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to be 88.5 million, more than double its projected population of 40.2 million in 2010.” Harvey (2008) concurs, he advises that by the year 2030, persons over sixty-five will reach eighty-five million; eight million will be over the age of eighty-five. Harvey goes on to mention, “The minority elderly may face more serious problems than the white elderly because they are sometimes less able to advocate for themselves because of cultural, language, or education barriers.” This data suggests that as the population of elderly continues to grow, so will the possibility of incidents of abuse. In a domestic environment, abuse of the elderly comes at the hands of their caretakers; this is commonly a family member. Reports of elder abuse are often met with disbelief. People do not...
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...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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...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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...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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...CONTENTS PAGE 1.Introduction 2.Definition of Concepts 2.1 Domestic Violence 2.2 Victim 3.Types of domestic violence 3.1 Physical Abuse 3.2 Sexual Abuse 3.3 Emotional Abuse 3.4 Economic Abuse 4. Victims of domestic Violence 4.1 Women and Violence 4.1.1 Women as Victims 5. Men as Victims 6. Children as Victims 6.1 Major types of child Abuse and Neglect 6.1.1 Children Physical Abuse 6.1.2 Children Neglect 6.1.3 Children Sexual Abuse 6.1.4 Children emotional Abuse 7. Crime and the Elderly 8. Conclusion 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 2 9. Bibliography 9 3 1.Introduction The paper seeks provide an understanding into how members of the family can be violated by their own members ,how they can be affected by such violation in their different forms. It highlights members of the family that experience violence as both men and women, the elderly and children and how each of them are impacted by the violence. As Doerner and lab (2012:206) states, it is common for one to think of crime and criminals as people not related to the victim. In actuality ,however, one is more likely to be killed or beaten by a person they know than a total stranger. This renders domestic Violence a hidden problem(Daves:1994)as it often takes place in private, behind closed doors, where no one can see the physical affliction or hear the anguished pleas for help. This paper will seek definition of key concepts such as Domestic Violence, who the victims are and how they experience the various forms...
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...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 will focus upon the issues concerning upon the violence that affects...
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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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...Elder Abuse Veronica Dalton SOC 120 Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility Dr. James Prentice May 26, 2012 Elder Abuse Elder abuse is a very serious issue in America today. The baby boomer generation has hit their elder years and drastically changed the numbers for this age group. Because the number has gone up so quickly we have limited people willing to take care of the elderly. The cost for care has gone up also, making more families opt to keep their loved ones at home instead of sending them to the nursing homes. The fear of elder abuse is higher now because of the cost rise in elder care. Nursing homes are being frowned upon because they do not have enough staff to properly take care of the patients they have. This presents a big problem for society because either choice, nursing homes or in home care can have a negative outcome for our elderly. Abuse is happening more often because we were not prepared in advance to take care of this jump in patients. This paper will look at this issue from a utilitarianism point of view as well as an emotivism point of view. From a utilitarianism point of view the best way to fix this problem would be for more people to pay attention to the elderly. Everyone working together to fix this issue would be the best route. Leaving it to only a few people is not going to work. Laws have been passed and yet we still have elder abuse going on. For the elderly that are being taken care of in their homes...
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...Population and Self-Awareness Paper The Elderly Population According to Chesnay (2008) “vulnerable populations are those with greater than average risk of developing health problems by virtue of their marginalized sociocultural status, their limited access to economic resources or personal characteristics such as gender or age. Anyone can be vulnerable at any given point in time as a result of life circumstances or response to illness or events” (p 3-4). For the last few decades, society and government have put a great deal of concern and interest on the aging population. The number of elderly population in the United States is rapidly increasing. The US population under the age of 65 tripled during the 20th century. This number is to double by the middle of next century. Over 70 million American citizens will be considered elderly by 2030, or about 20% of the population will be senior citizen (Walsh, 2009). The growing numbers are attributed to aging “Baby Boomers” and increasing life expectancies. Disability and disease are more common in elderly population such as hip fractures, parkinson’s disease, malnutrition, cardivovascular disease and malignant cancer. More than 70% of the elderly population has been diagnosed with a chronic disease (Pishchita, 2007). According to CDC, arthritis is the leading cause of disability among individuals over 65 years of age and 47% of over 85 years of age suffer from degenerative and debilitating disease. Many elders hope that they can continue...
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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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...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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