History Of Elder Abuse

According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, elder abuse is a term referring to any knowing, intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable

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

The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse states that 10% of older adults are abused in some way; which is over 160,000 people in Ontario. Elderly abuse is categorized as the violence, mistreatment or neglect of an elderly person by caregivers, service providers, family, or even strangers (Canadian Government). A senior citizen can be abused physically, financially, psychologically, and rarely, sexually. The mistreatment is usually because of the influence a caregiver has over an older adult. The abuse on the elderly can happen in long term care facilities or in the home; it usually goes unnoticed and unreported (Elder Abuse and Neglect). The concern of abuse on the elderly population is a growing issue due to the increasing populace of older people and baby boomers; physical, financial, and emotional abuse are the most common forms. The problem needs to be taken more seriously, the types of abuse may vary, but regardless of the form, abuse among the elderly needs to end.

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.

Elder abuse has a long standing history dating back before the 1960’s, “it is only in recent decades that elder abuse as a social policy issue has moved to the forefront of health care and social services in the United States” (Falk, Baigis, & Kopac, 2012). In March of 2010, as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; The Elder Justice Act, first introduced in 2003, was signed into law. The Elder Justice Act provides federal resources to “prevent, detect, treat, intervene in, and prosecute elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation and to protect elders with diminished capacity while maximizing their

It is estimated that one in ten American over the age of 60 are victims of elder abuse each year. Elder abuse is a difficult subject; however, it is a subject that must be addressed. Thousands of senior citizens are being abused or neglected each day in this country. It is everyone’s responsibility to take acts to prevent elder abuse when possible.

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

Hello Antonia, thank you for being a major part of this week’s discussion, and sharing your potential funding sources that appears to be a great fit. I cannot recall if I extend gratitude to you for selecting this population as your idea project, so thank you for doing so. This population being at-risk to abuse and mistreatment is worthy to be address. How sad! Acierno, and colleagues (2010), indicated that The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study, had conducted a decade ago, was the first major investigation of mistreatment among the aging population in the United States and found that 449924 persons aged 60 years or older had been physically abused, neglected, or had been mistreated in some kind of way. I was appalled in the number of elderly being abused and just think this study does not include the cases that were unreported.

One way elder abuse or elder mistreatment can be defined is, “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 person who stands in a trust relationship to the elder” (Bonnie & Wallace). There are seven main forms of elder abuse which include emotional, physical, psychological, sexual, financial, neglect, abandonment, and self-neglect (Cohen, Levin, Gagin & Friedman, 2007; Fulmer, 2008; Thompson & Priest, 2005). Even though only 6.2% of victims are abused in long-term care settings, my experience of witnessing neglect and abandonment are very serious (Teaster et al., 2006).

When I first started the research on sexual elderly abuse I know that it happens but didn’t know the extent of the finding until now how much emotional, physical, sexual, and financial mistreatment and potential neglect that our elderly endure. Elder sexual abuse is understudied and rarely understood. It is difficult to seek justice for elderly sexual abuse because the victims are over the age of 60 and frequently have medical conditions such as loss of memory, communication problems, or confusion as while as finding the perpetrators who maybe attendants, employees of care facilities, family members including spouses, and others. Facility residents sometimes assault fellow residents while the majority

Elders in the United States should not have to go through situations of abuse like the one Mildred Mortenson suffered. However, this type of situations happen more often than they should and sadly, there is not enough being done to prevent it. Elder abuse should be recognized as an increasing and very serious problem in our society. As elders grow more physically frail and begin to depend on others to meet their basic needs, they tend to become vulnerable to intentional abuse and neglect within their own home as well as assisted living facilities such as nursing homes. Unfortunately, it is not possible to know exactly how many elders are being abused across the Nation. Due to under-reporting, variations in the definition of elder abuse,

Elder abuse is the mistreatment, abuse, or manipulation of the elderly by those who should have a trusting relationship with the elder affected. It is occurs throughout the United States and Maine and not just in nursing homes or facilities. Elder abuse can even occur in your own family. The abuse of the elderly is inhumane, unjust, and not deserved by those who have put trust into others to take care of them or support them.

Before jumping into the reasons why elder abuse goes so under researched and discussed, I believe it’s important to define the age appropriate to define someone as an elder. According to Wallace, “Some scholars examined elder abuse and included persons under the age of sixty in their research, whereas others classified elders as those over the age of sixty”(Wallace, Pg.286). In contrast, another source defines elder abuse age as a vulnerable adult. For example, “elder abuse is a term referring to any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult” (National Center for Elder Abuse, Pg.287). I find this fascinating because elders who get abused tend

There are many types of abuse, and abuse can affect many types of people. For example, there is mental abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, et cetera. These forms of abuse can affect many types of people as well including children, men and women, and so on. An estimate of about 4 million older Americans fall victim to some form of abuse and/or neglect, as reported by American Psychological Association (2014). Additional claims from the APA include that for every case reported of elder abuse and neglect, an estimate of about 23 cases typically go undetected. This issue, like many other forms if abuse, is identified as being complex and surrounded by misconceptions. Taking the previous statement into consideration,