National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) is one of 27 Administration on Ageing-funded Resource Centers. The NCEA is the place to turn to for up-to-date information regarding research, training, best practices, news and resources on elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. The NCEA works to ensure that all older Americans will live with dignity, integrity, independence, and without abuse, neglect, and exploitation (NCEA, 2013).
In 2011, with a modest discretionary grant from the Administration on Ageing, the first Adult Protective Services Center was established. National Adult Protective Services (NAPSA) is now working to have the center institutionalized in the Older Americans Act with a level of funding comparable to those of other such centers (NAPSA, 2013).
Last year the Administration on Ageing, sponsored the Year of Elder Abuse Prevention (YEAP) to encourage national, state, and local organizations to protect seniors and raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation (AOA, 2013). In 2010, State and Area Agencies on Ageing provided services to a total of 10.5 million older persons which was consistent with the goals of the Older Americans Act (ACL, 2013). The continued effort and success of these organizations to prevent elder abuse is important and will remain a continuous effort as the population of elder Americans doubles in the future.
I recommend that The United States of America as a society increases its public awareness of Elder Abuse through more effective use of media coverage and sources. According to Wallace and Roberson (2011), there is a continuing failure to report and act on elder abuse. There should be diverse means to inform the community what their local organization does in the event of elder a...
... middle of paper ...
...Maryland: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation.
Krauss-Whitbourne, S. (2002). The Aging Individual. New York: Springer Publishing Company,
Inc.
National Adult Protective Services. (2013) Get Help. Retrieved September 10, 2013 from http://www.napsa-now.org/
National Research Council. (2003) Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation in an Aging American. Washington, D.C.: The Nation Press.
National Center on Elder Abuse. (2013) Stop Abuse. Retrieved September 13, 2013 from http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/stop_abuse/index.aspx National Center on Elder Abuse (1998). The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study: Final Report. Washington D.C.: Westat, Inc.
The National Long-Term Care Resource Center. (2013) About NORC. Retrieved September 13,
2013 from http://www.ltcombudsman.org/about
Wallace, H., & Roberson, C. (2011). Victimology. New Jersey: Pearson Education.
Elder abuse is a very sad reality. With an understanding of what the term elder abuse encompasses, who is at risk, what the warning signs are, the statutes that are there to protect the elderly, who is mandated to report the abuse, and how to report the abuse, it is important to minimize the crime. As with all things, the most important way to prevent something from happening is to educate, and elder abuse is no different. If care takers had education about the numerous resources there are, such as support groups and counseling, elder abuse could possibly be decreased exponentially.
Did you know that, according to the National Institute of Justice website, “There are few reliable national measures of elder abuse. This is partially because there is no uniform reporting system for elder abuse in the U.S.” ("Extent of Elder Abuse Victimization," 2015). It is sad that, in a country as developed as ours, we have no standard way of reporting elder abuse.
In 1965 the first Aging American’s Act was passed. This legislation was part of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society reform. In passing this legislation nearly 50 years ago, the government created a new department the focused on the rights and needs of the gaining population called the United States Administration on Aging. The original legislation was complete with seven titles. The articles include Title I—the Declaration of Objectives for Older Americans; Title II—Establishment of Administration on aging; Title III—Grants for state and community programs on aging; Title IV—Activities for health and independence, and longevity; Title V—Community service senior opportunities act; Title VI—Grants for Native Americans; and Title VII—allotments for vulnerable elder rights protection activities. Each of these titles are present in the most recent Aging Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2013. Each of the titles in the original and reauthorization have levels of measure to ensure that the legislation is enacted in a manner that will protect the aging population. The titles provide guidance to involved organizations and caregivers ensuring each is properly educated in treating the medical and mental health needs of the aging population as well as recognizing, reporting, and preventing elderly abuse, neglect, and physical, mental, and financial exploitation.
"Elder Abuse and Neglect: In Search of Solutions." Http://www.apa.org. American Psychological Association, 2012. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .
Rodríguez, M. A., Wallace, S. P., Woolf, N. H., & Mangione, C. M. (2006). Mandatory reporting of elder abuse: Between a rock and a hard place. Annals of Family Medicine, 4(5), 403-409. doi:10.1370/afm.575
According to Daly, Schmeidel Klein, & Jogerst, (2012), when dealing with abuse issues, nurses need to be aware of reasons why an older person may not want to report abuse and take this into consideration when soliciting information. Then, nurses can provide adequate information and resources to the older adult that may help them deal with the abuse. In addition, since elder abuse is perpetrated by family members, caregivers, and other individuals, the most effective method to eliminate elder abuse is to promote elder abuse awareness in private homes and nurse care setting to education individuals about elder abuse, signs of elder abuse and hence improve their relationship with the older individuals. Patients should also be educated on elder abuse, their civil rights and how to seek help when they experience abuse. Nurses play a huge role in detecting elder-abuse especially during patient assessment. Furthermore, in support of nursing education, Muehlbauer & Crane argues
In the medical field, the workers are highly trained to be able to make a distinction between what is right and what is wrong. Elder abuse is becoming a serious issue in the health environment. As defined in the website, MedicineNet.com, elder abuse is: “the physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of an elderly person, usually one who is disabled or frail”. The older population consists of people over sixty-five years old. They are very fragile and sometimes they are forgotten or abused. The elderly can be victims of mistreatment in nursing homes, hospitals, or even in their own house. Nursing is the act of promoting health for others, and of providing care and security with the skills nurses have acquired. However, those who are nursing can also harm, or hurt people by advising them. Elder abuse can take many forms such as financial abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse.
Of nursing home staff interviewed in 2004, nearly 40% admitted to committing at least one psychologically abusive act toward a resident and 10% admitted to physically abusing a resident in the preceding year.[1] Not only are nursing home residents at risk of being abused by their caretakers but they are also at risk of being restrained, which may lead to a form of abuse. With five percent of the elderly population, or one to two million instances of elder abuse occurring yearly there is no doubt that elder abuse deserves serious consideration.[2]
With respect to older women, the issue is that there is a serious lack in differentiating between elder abuse and domestic violence. The discrepancy causes confusion as to what agency to report either volunteered or mandated cases of abuse (Kilbane & Spira, 2010). Furthermore, it is because of reporting errors that victims of abuse may not receive the services that are congruent to the type of abuse (Kilbane & Spira, 2010) indicating, “…a lack of centralized reporting of cases….” (Kilbane & Spira, 2010, p. 165).
As noted by Statistics Canada (2013), the number of older adults will more than triple by 2031, thus the number of cases of elder abuse will likely increase in alignment. With this notion in mind, it seems ostensive that nurses must develop a decent understanding of what it entails, including identification of those who may be most vulnerable. Financial abuse involves the unauthorized use and or procurement of an older adults wealth (Gibson & Honn Qualls, 2012, p. 26). It is interesting to not...
Now, you can see that Nursing Home abuse is a big problem in America. You might want to get involved in our local program against nursing home abuse. I will leave you with one last statistic, 1 out of every 8 nursing home patients are abused in some way. Wouldn’t you like to help them?
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. This includes a variety of demographs and ethnicities (Meadows, 2010). Anyone may potential cause abuse and/or neglect.
The number of elders who are abused in this country and around the world each day is growing at an astonishing rate be it from individuals or institutions. As many as one in ten older adults and one in two people with dementia are victims of elder abuse. Unfortunately, for every case that gets reported there are 23 that go unreported. ("Get Info," 2014) as you can see from the statistics elder abuse is not uncommon in the United States. Any elder has the potential of being physically, emotionally, sexually, or financially abused by another individual. Elders can also cause harm to themselves by neglecting their daily needs. At St. Rita’s nursing home, during Katrina, thirty-five elderly residents were trapped inside all eventually drowning in their wheelchairs and beds.
Assisted Living Facilities abuse is a frequently occurring problem in our society (Hamilton). There are diverse categories of abuse that transpire in Assisted Living Facilities which are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial abuse. Samples of physical abuse would be hitting or beating the elders with an object or their hand, force feeding them or pulling their hands. Sexual abuse is the Assisted Living Facility employees having sexual acts with non-consenting patients. Emotional abuse is the employees saying things verbally to torment the patient. Neglect would be the employee does not take care of the patients such as providing hygiene. Abandonment occurs when leaving patients to fend for themselves. Financial abuse is when the patient’s family pays for the services that were not taken care of. “Elder abuse is fast becoming one of the uppermost law enforcement tasks of the next century, “said Paul Hodge who investigates crime against the elderly (Gonzalez). Since abuse occurs throughout assisted living facilities, state and federal governments should establish a type of punishment such as sending for employees to prison, ways to prevent abusing elderly’s is by inspecting employees ' criminal records, qualified staff, reporting injuries, having surveillance of the areas that do not affect patients privacy, promoting continuous family visits, and shortage of staffing.
America's older population is growing at an alarming rate. Statistical evidence indicates growth amongst the very late adulthood age group. For instance, the CB (2011) found that, between 1960 and 1994, the population group 85 and older had risen by 274 percent in contrast to the general elderly population that rose to 100 percent. The upsurge of the elderly population could potentially escalate occurrences of ageism and abuse within the cohort. Greenlee (2012) states “silently under this data sits another truth: increased older people equals more elder abuse” (p. 6).