There are many problems that plague families nowadays. These problems can affect anybody from the newborn baby to the 90 year old great-grandmother. Some problems can cause physical pain and leave the victim bloody and bruised, for instance abuse, while others cause mental anguish and financial hardship, such as teenage pregnancies. Many of these problems remain hidden, even with all the help that is usually available, because of embarrassment or fear of hurting a loved one. Although there are many proposed solutions, none have been effective enough to wipe the problems out.
Abuse is a problem that an estimated 1.57 million Americans over the age of 60 are facing each year. In 1991 only 227,000 reports were received nationwide, which is up from the 1988 figure of 140,000 (McGrath, 1994). Elderly abuse is a crime that many people think they would never commit. The fact is that anybody can be an offender. Abuse of elders occurs many times when a responsible, even loving, relative becomes overwhelmed with financial and emotional burdens and loses control (Collins & Frantz, 1994). The physical aspect of the abuse usually arises when the caretaker has a problem of his own, such as alcohol or psychological difficulties. There have been reports of children and relatives who have chained, beaten, starved, raped, punched, slapped, and in a variety of other ways, physically abused their elders (Larue, 1989). Physical abuse is not the only type that occurs. There is also psychological abuse. Many aged persons are left alone for hours and even days. The neglect ranges from not turning a bedridden person to prevent sores to abandonment. Many homebound senior citizens are too ashamed or too afraid to come forward. “It’s a very embarrassing sit...
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...others. Infant Behavior and Development, 10, 39-48
Larue, Gerald A. (July/Aug. 1989) “Geroethics: A Humanist Issue” Humanist, 5+
Mcgee, E. (1982) Too Little, Too Late: Services for Teenage Parents. New York: Ford Foundation
McGrath, Mary (Jan. 2, 1994) “Physical Abuse, Neglect Come of Age” The Record, A1+
Scattergood, Sara Park (Jan. 1990) “Curbing Teenage Pregnancy: A Novel Approach” USA Today (Magazine), 87-88
Teti, D., and Lamb, M. (1989) Socioeconomic and marital outcomes of adolescent marriage, adolescent childbirth, and their co-occurrence. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 203-212
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Some of these cases of abuse are done in elderly homes by family members. In the first section of the article, the authors discuss the definition of elder abuse. The authors began with the most common types of elder abuse, which are physical and neglect. Elder abuse is the intentional use of physical force that results in acute or chronic illness, bodily injury, physical pain, functional impairment, distress, or death (Choi NG & Mayer J. In summary, the rhetorical analysis essay discusses how elder abuse and neglect affect the victims physically, emotionally, and professionally.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation. “The Facts of Teen Pregnancy: An Overview.” Teens and Sex.
Teenage parents are more likely to be impoverished and mentally unstable compared to other individuals who postpone having children. Compared to adult mothers...
Reimer, Susan. "Case Closed: Teen Pregnancy Is Poverty's Offspring." Baltimore Sun. N.p., 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2013.
The birth rate among teens in the United States has declined 9% from 2009 to 2010, a historic low among all racial and ethnic groups, with the least being born in 2010; and in 2011 the number of babies born to adolescents aged 15-19 years of age was 329,797 (“Birth Rates for U.S.”, 2012). Although the decline in unwanted and unplanned teen births is on the rise the United States continues to be among the highest of industrialized countries facing this problem. This is a prevailing social concern because of the health risks to these young mothers as well as their babies. Teens at higher risk of becoming pregnant are raised at or below the poverty level by single parents; live in environments that cause high levels of stress (i.e., divorce, sexual psychological and physical abuse); are influenced by peers or family members that are sexually active; and lack parental guidance that would direct them to be responsible and self-controlled.
Every American should have the right to live free from the fear of abuse. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. The National Center on Elder Abuse Administration on Aging (NCEA) stated, “In the United States, the 2010 Census recorded the greatest number and proportion of people age 65 and older in all of decennial census history: 40.3 million, or 13% of the total population. This “Boomer Generation” effect will continue for decades”. This suggests that with the population of elders increasing, the abuse of elders will grow much higher. Elder abuse if defined as intentionally causing harm to a vulnerable elder by a caregiver or someone they trust. There are five main types of abuse; Physical, sexual, neglect, emotional or psychological
In order to understand how abuse has an effect on the elderly we must first understand the different types of elder abuse. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can aid in understanding the different forms by defining what each form entails (CDC, 2016). Physical abuse is the intentional use of physical force that results in illness, injury, pain, functional impairment, distress or even death. Neglect can be defined as failure by the
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 people 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 protection (National Research Council Panel to Review Risk and Prevalence of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 2003)” (Meadows, 2010, p. 87).
The impacts of abuse on elderly are detrimental. The unfortunate truth is that many do not concern themselves with the abuse of elderly like they would the abuse of children. In recent studies it was shown that, “elders who experienced abuse, even modest abuse, had a 300% higher risk of death when compared to those who had not been abused” (National Center on Elder Abuse, 2014). These elderly victims are in great danger in a physiological aspect as well. Some research shows signs of increased symptoms of anxiety, learned helplessness, and post-traumatic. There are numerous signs of elder abuse. Physical abuse can ...
encompasses sexual development, reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, affection, intimacy, body image, and gender roles.” Sex education discusses important aspects of reproduction, sexuality, and just growing up in general in a physical and emotional sense. One would have to wonder though; does sex education actually serve its purpose? Does it enlighten teens enough about sex and the consequences, to the point where you can actually tell the difference between those who are sexually educated and those who are not? According to a study done bye Coyle (1999) sex education no matter where, at home or in school, and no matter the program does indeed help decrease the amount of teens having unsafe sex. Based on information from that same study about 3 million teenagers a year get an STD, and roughly 10% of adolescent females ages 15-19 get pregnant every year unintentionally. In an article from The Alan Guttmacher Institute (1999) there has been a 20% drop in female pregnancies between n 1990 and 1997 and the drop has continued, they have stated that the reason for this i...
Kohler et al. (2008)“Abstinence-only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy.” Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(4): 344-351.
Stanger-Hall, K. & Hall, D. (2011). Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S. PLoS ONE 6(10).
Thesis Statement: Within America, there is a teen pregnancy epidemic across all socioeconomic backgrounds, presenting commonalities as to the causes and ramifications of adolescents emerging as a growing parental population.
Hamilton, B. E., J. A. Martin, and S. J. Ventura. "Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing." The Office of Adolescent Health/OAH, 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 17.
Swann, C., Bowe, K., McCormick, G., Kosmin, M. (2003) Teenage pregnancy and parenthood: a review of reviews. London: HAD.