Older Women - Hidden Sexual Abuse Victims
Although other forms of violence within the family have received increasing attention from professionals and the media over recent years, including the physical abuse and neglect of children, child sexual abuse, and domestic violence, elder abuse remains relatively hidden. This is especially true of sexual abuse of older persons. While there are some references to stranger rapes of older women, the topic of elder sexual abuse within the family is rarely addressed in the professional literature, and seldom confronted by social workers, medical personnel or advocates. This is partly true because sexuality is usually associated with younger people. Yet, if sexual abuse is a function of power and control, frail older persons, who often have little power and may be dependent on others for care, can be extremely vulnerable to sexual mistreatment.
Elder sexual abuse is defined as coercing an older person, through force, trickery, threats, or other means, into sexual contact against her or his will. It often begins with covert activities such as inappropriate remarks and threats, and escalates to more severe types of mistreatment, including: the offender forcing the victim to view pornography or to listen to explicit sexual accounts; sexualized kissing and fondling; oral-genital contact; digital penetration; vaginal rape; anal rape; rape by objects; exploitation (e.g., prostituting or swapping the victim); sadistic acts, and ritualistic abuse.1 The prevalence of elder sexual abuse is not known because no systemic study has been done to determine how widespread the problem is. Where it is uncovered, it is usually by adult protective services workers who are called to intervene in other types of mistreatment of older persons, such as physical abuse, neglect or financial exploitation.
In the first study of its kind, Holly Ramsey-Klawsnik, Ph.D. in 1991 examined twenty-eight (28) Massachusetts cases in which sexual abuse was identified by elder abuse case workers. All the victims resided in the community (not in nursing homes or other institutional facilities). All were female, ranging in age from 65 to 101, while all but one of the offenders was male. Four out of five of the offenders were care givers to the victims, the vast majority of whom had significant impairments which made them totally dependent on others for dai...
... middle of paper ...
...e services will reduce the victim's dependence on the abuser and will also reduce her isolation, both of which contribute significantly to vulnerability to abuse. The rape crisis center and local adult protective services programs should cooperate on other interventions such as legal remedies in order to avoid duplication of effort and to reduce the confusion to the client. Vulnerable older persons need and deserve the skilled attention of all those with whom they come into contact in order to reduce their vulnerability to sexual abuse.
Work Cited
1 Ramsey-Klawsnik, Holly, Ph.D. "Elder Sexual Abuse: Preliminary Findings." Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect. Vol. 3(3), 1991.
2 Ibid.
3 Holt, Malcolm G., CSS "Elder Sexual Abuse in Britain: Preliminary Findings." Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect. Vol.5(2), 1993.
4 Russell, Diane E. Rape in Marriage. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1990.
5 Ramsey-Klawsnik.
6 Illinois Department on Aging, Elder Abuse and Neglect Program: FY 1995 Annual Report. Springfield, Illinois, 1996.
7 Groth, A.N., "The Older Rape Victim and Her Assailant." Geriatric Psychiatry, 203-215, 1978, as cited in Ramsey-Klawsnik.
8 Ramsey-Klawsnik
"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
The effects of childhood sexual abuse carry on with the children forever. To what extent and to what effect does abuse have on children during adulthood? What are the main issues that adults have been abused suffer from in adulthood? Do they have more of a physical issue with preforming with their partner in the bedroom or do they have more of a mental block due to their trauma? The world had been asking these questions for far too long and we need answers on how helping the children of our world. The questions that have been stated have been answered through the two articles that will be summarized below.
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of
The selection of whether an abused older adult should enter an adult protection agency or a domestic violence program is often dependent on her age and whether or not the abuser is of relation or known to the victim (Kilbane & Spira, 2010). The concept of being known to the perpetrator is similar to US law regarding sexual abuse of a child, whereas, according to Fong and Cardoso (2010) child sexual abuse comes in many forms; however, some forms of child sexual abuse does not qualify a child victim for services provided by the child protection agency. To reap the benefits of the child protective agency, “…the perpetrator of sexual abuse needs to be responsible for the care and custody of the child” (pp. 313). One can argue that there is a moral failure of the legislative body to pass laws that does not provide the needed protections for older woman against perpetrators. The requirement of the perpetrator needing to be known to the older victim appears unjust for the older woman. For example, older women suffer from dementia which renders her forgetful of the individual/caregiver (Reingold, 2006). In this scenario, the perpetrator of the abuse may not be known to the victim ...
Basically, the dad was teaching his son how to drive after he got his learner's permit. During the lesson, the father encouraged the son to drive the speed limit and an accident occurred. The father owned a driving school and they were in a company car that had a break on the passenger side. Justin was also employed by his father. The statute of limitations was tolled until Justin's 18th birthday and then he had two years to file. Justin did not file on the last day because the court house was supposed to be closed for a holiday. But the court house was open and there were people there to answer the phones and file. The courthouse website said that the courthouse was closed until 11
Elders who are abused have a 300% higher risk of death when compared to those who had not been abused. The impact is felt even by those seniors who were moderately abused. Research has also demonstrated that seniors who are abused suffer from increased levels of psychological distress and have decreased levels of confidence and self-sufficiency as compared to those not abused (Comijs, Penninx, Knipscheer, & van Tilburg, 1999). Additionally, victims also have a higher incidence of health related problems to include: bone and joint disorders, digestive problems, depression, anxiety, mental health problems, chronic pain, high blood pressure, and heart problems (Coker, Davis, Arias, Desai, Sanderson, Brandt, 2002).
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.
Saison, Joanna. “Child Abuse and Neglect.” Help Guide of Child Abuse. Robert Segal 12 Nov. 2011. 6 May 2011. Web.’
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.
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
Elder abuse suffered at the hands of family members is quickly becoming a major societal problem that requires immediate attention. The American Psychological Association estimates that nearly two million older adults suffer some type of abuse, typically at the hands of family (Fleck & Schmidt, p. 2). However, this number is most likely a gross underestimate as many elderly victims choose not to come forward and report the crime fearing the impact it will have on the family relationship. More people are living longer today than ever before. As a result, family members are taxed with the responsibility of providing care to this expanding population and most are ill prepared for the burden it can create in one’s daily life. The stress this additional role brings can, in some cases, result in abuse toward the elderly individual (Linzer, p.165-66). Elder abuse can take many forms. It may be physical, emotional or sexual; psychological, financial and material exploitation and neglect and abandonment of the older victim (Corey Et Al, p. 251). Whichever form the abuse takes, the impact on the victim is devastating. It is not uncommon for the abused to be left suffering with depression, a sense of helplessness, fear, shame and low self-esteem (Linzer, p. 166).
...ican Psychological Association). Education is the probably the foundation for preventing abuse. Since majority of abusive treatment and neglect happens in the home setting, educating the public is crucial in efforts to raise awareness of the problems of older adults and the risk factors for abuse. Respite care is having another individual care for the elder to lessen the stress of caregivers. Social support and contact can alleviate stress and relieving tension by providing an informal respite. Counseling is also a very significant prevention tool for behavioral and personal problems (American Psychological Association).
...child sexual abuse, Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 17, Issue 1, January-February 1993, Pages 67-70,