Elderly Abuse: Awareness and Solutions

This assignment delves into the critical topic of elderly abuse, exploring its various forms, contributing factors, and devastating impacts on victims. It underscores the urgent need for public awareness campaigns and proactive strategies to prevent and address this pervasive issue. The paper analyzes potential solutions, including combating isolation, promoting empathy, and empowering individuals to report suspected cases of abuse. By shedding light on this sensitive subject, the assignment aims to encourage a collective effort towards safeguarding the well-being and dignity of elderly individuals.

Running head: ELDER ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT
Elder Abuse and Maltreatment
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

1ELDER ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT
Abstract:
The aim of this report is to discuss about the abuse of the elders and the reasons for the
abuse or the maltreatment. The family situations, the cultural issues, the problems of the
caregivers and their contributions to the elder abuse are also discussed. The possible solutions to
this issue are also discussed so that the negativity surrounding the issue can be stopped.

2ELDER ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT
Introduction:
Abuse is defined as basically the infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement,
intimidation or any sort of negative behaviour which is responsible for causing physical harm,
pain or any sort of mental anguish. The elderly people are always in danger of risks of abuse.
The abuse of elders along with the neglect has existed in the society for centuries. The
maltreatment of elders is a serious issue which needs proper amount of consideration and
responsibility to stop such occurrences in the society.
The concept of abuse or maltreatment of the elders is very vital. In accordance with the
long term scenario this situation needs to be addressed in case of the long term settings of the
elderly. There have been instances of abuse in long term care which is due to the lack of
awareness among the staff who are mostly involved in the verbal abuse and even abuse of other
forms.
The issue:
Elder mistreatment is basically recognised as a social problem of uncertain though the
magnitude is probably increasing. It also leads to come to the conclusion that the cases of elder
mistreatment will grow in the coming years as the ageing population increases. The mistreatment
of the elderly is considered to be an act of either omission or commission which is that of neglect
and is either intentional or unintentional (Eastman 2013).
There may be physical assault, or it might be psychological or might include economic
or other materialistic mistreatment. Irrespective of the type or the nature of abuse it results in
suffering injury or pain or even the loss or the violation of human rights and also a lower grade

3ELDER ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT
of life of the elderly (Sooryanarayana, Choo and Hairi 2013). The behaviour can be termed as
abusive, disturbing or ignorance depending on the frequency of occurrence of the mistreatment,
its duration, severity and other consequences. In several places the displacement of older people
as heads of the house as well as depriving them of their autonomy are also common practices
(Kosberg and Garcia 2013).
Cause of elder abuse and mistreatment:
Elder abuse involves several factors and not one particular cause. One of the most
important reasons for elderly mistreatment is the lower number of nursing with a lack of quality
caregivers. At the time of occurrence the residents do not get the amount of attention which they
actually deserve ad the caregivers are very few in number. There might also be personal
problems arising among the individuals who provide care to the elderly. Often there are cultural,
societal as well as familial influences which make an impact in the care which an elderly resident
receives (Hoover and Polson 2014).
The caregivers, the family members and the residents should take care of the elders and
there should be a positive attempt to make a variation in the care received by the elderly.
Family situations:
There might be the existence or the occurrence of domestic violence which has occurred
between the spouses or other family members might have an impact into old age. The presence
of an elderly member in one’s family and the struggle to care for that elderly person or the
financial burden is too much of a stress for the family and the caregivers as well ( Pillemer et al.
2016). In most of the cases the elder abuse occurs because the members of the family are the
perpetrators of emotional, financial, sexual as well as physical abuses against the elderly relative.

4ELDER ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT
This is extremely devastating as a form of abuse as there is a lack of accountability for other
persons to detect the warning signs and to help the family members in receiving the abuse. The
culture and the differing family values also play a significant role in determining the people who
get abused and who do not (Dong 2015).
Problems and personal issues of the caregivers:
The caregivers might be burdened fell the pressure of looking after or physically
impaired or even mentally ill. It often happens that the caregivers might feel trapped or helpless
and are often incapable of understanding which resources to turn to for assistance. The cost of
caring for elderly who are sick or physically impaired pose a huge financial problem. In the
absence of necessary resources there is the increase of the chances of the risk of abuse (Brownell
2014).
Problems of the providers of care can impact the type of care which they meet out to
their patients. The nursing place settings and those in the place of residence also matter. There
are physical as well as economic and psychological issues. This might affect the amount of time
and the assistance they provide to their residents they are responsible for taking care of (Jackson
and Hafemeister 2013).
There might be caregivers who have problems of drug addiction who may start to indulge
in stealing or other acts which are unwise. There might be several issues which are faced by the
caregivers which might lead them to mistreat the elders. These include being under too much
stress due to chronic fatigue, possessing a huge amount of responsibilities per day, suffering
from illicit usage of drugs including the excessive use of alcohol, possessing psychological

5ELDER ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT
problems including that of bipolar disorder and also symptoms of depression and finally the
anxiousness related to the limited amount of financial resources.
Cultural issues:
There are certain individuals or communities who hold a lack of respect for elderly
adults. This might be regarded as disposable thus leading to an increased risk of abuse. There are
certain families which give more importance to the respect and the care of elders and some do
not. In those families where the elders are considered as a burden or an unfruitful or non-
contributing member of the society the abuse of the elderly are more common (Martins et al.
2014).
Possible solutions to the scenario:
The issue of elderly abuse needs to be cured and solved as it is a serious issue which is
affecting the society and the mindsets of the impressionable people in a wrong way. The elderly
abuse or maltreatment is extremely inhuman which needs to be at first reduced and gradually
prevented at all costs (Bennett and Kingston 2013).
There needs to be an effort to combat isolation. Every individual should take it upon
themselves to either connect with an older relative or make friends with the elderly by any sort of
volunteer programs or by visiting old age homes (Martins et al 2014).
Spreading awareness regarding this issue is also an important way to prevent sch
inhuman acts. There needs to be an awareness among the public that the concept of elder abuse
exists in the society and it is very wrong to participate in such practices.

6ELDER ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT
Conclusion:
Any individual who suspects or witnesses abuse of the elderly should report it to the
appropriate authorities clearly describing the symptoms of abuse. Thus the discovery of abuse
should be followed by the indications for abuse and it should be stopped at once as soon as it is
found to occur with any one and in any form.
Always keeping the government informed as well as maintaining a level of knowledge
regarding the local, state as well as federal goals can be ensured. This is due to the fact that the
power of passing legislations, the implementation of regulatory measures and the alignment of
the funding priorities with the best interest of the citizens is in their hands.

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References:
Bennett, G. and Kingston, P.W., 2013. Elder abuse: Concepts, theories and interventions.
Springer.
Brownell, P.J., 2014. Family crimes against the elderly: Elder abuse and the criminal justice
system. Routledge.
Dong, X.Q., 2015. Elder abuse: systematic review and implications for practice. Journal of the
American Geriatrics Society, 63(6), pp.1214-1238.
Eastman, M., 2013. Old age abuse: a new perspective. Springer.
Hoover, R.M. and Polson, M., 2014. Detecting elder abuse and neglect: assessment and
intervention. American family physician, 89(6).
Jackson, S.L. and Hafemeister, T.L., 2013. Understanding elder abuse: New directions for
developing theories of elder abuse occurring in domestic settings.
Kosberg, J.I. and Garcia, J.L., 2013. Elder abuse: International and cross-cultural perspectives.
Routledge.
Martins, R., Neto, M.J., Andrade, A. and Albuquerque, C., 2014. Abuse and maltreatment in the
elderly. Atencion primaria, 46, pp.206-209.
Pillemer, K., Burnes, D., Riffin, C. and Lachs, M.S., 2016. Elder abuse: global situation, risk
factors, and prevention strategies. The Gerontologist, 56(Suppl_2), pp.S194-S205.

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Sooryanarayana, R., Choo, W.Y. and Hairi, N.N., 2013. A review on the prevalence and
measurement of elder abuse in the community. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 14(4), pp.316-325.