Elder Mistreatment Essay Example for Free

aged Mistreatment EssayOld age is generally a time for great behavior changes, stresses, and multiple losses for a maturing adult. An individuals capacity to manage stress fluctuates with age. There argon optimism and positive cleverness in youth, along with physical stamina to meet demands of life and cope up with conflict. With advancing age, and concomitant physical illness, bereavement and fears, people suffer a deterioration of their mental stamina in negotiating challenges of life (Gonzalez et al. , 1988, 15).With an increasing sense of loneliness and insecurity about life, aging adult face a in all different level of problems that relate more to continuity, meaning and purposefulness of life, rather than meeting its material accomplishments. senior mistreatment Definition Defining sr. mistreatment requires due consideration of a number of eventors that vary from victim profiles to character reference and degree of iniquity. Therefore to standardize its definitio n, elder mistreatment has been described as a process that starts with being overwhelmed that leads to treat, mistreatment and miss that causes suffering and pain for the victim (Johnson, 1991).Elder mistreatment deals with such issues as maltreatment, neglect, affront, national violence, conflict and lapse in carry on management and physical and financial exploitation (Elder plague). Despite all the health management plans the fact remains that elder people are very vulnerable when it comes to health care. They are easily hyper bleak to diseases, illness, injuries, and psychological traumas that are consequences of aging (Pillemer and Wolf, 1986).These circumstances lead to abuse owing to isolation of According to discipline surveys, more than 49 percent of elder population handles abuse that range from neglect in providing fundamental amenities such as food, water, medicines, shelter, clothing, and timely medical treatment to denial of mad and psychological affirm (Eld er Abuse) With signifi micklet increase in Americas elder population, providing seemly elder care at family, social, and institutional level has become a major issue.The public conscience level for the major problems go about old age people are neglect, mistreatment and mismanagement in care related aspects has seen greater academician research to find out the causative factors behind elder neglect and mistreatment. Precipitators in elder mistreatment antonym to the general perception of American family as one that is caring, considerate and loving towards its elder members, researches in elder neglect and abuse confound shown that most of the neglect and mistreatment is put downed at the hands of close family members (Pillemer and Wolf, 1986).In a report by National Elder Abuse Incidence Study on elder abuse, it was shown that majority of abuse on people aged 60 or more takes place in domestic quarters at hands of family members (Bergeron and Gray, 2003). Close relatives suc h as siblings, children and in several cases even spouses have been found to be responsible for neglect and abuse. Earlier conceptions of families being a safe heaven for remote population received setback as definition of neglect broadened to comprise sensitive issues of psychological support, emotional care, empathy and understanding (Douglass et al, 1984).An issue of grave concern is the findings pointing to elder abuse and mistreatment taking place at overlord health care and nursing institutions by nursing staff that is specifically trained for taking adequate care of elderly people (Johnson, 1991) Types of mistreatment afflicting elders Elder population suffers a wide range of mistreatment and abuse. The major types of mistreatments as described at Elder Abuse Help Guide are1. Physical abuse of Elders It includes physically maltreating old people, assaulting, beating, pushing, using physical restraints and manhandling. Physical abuse is relatively a rare phenomenon. 2.Emotio nal abuse Emotional abuse of elders includes verbal or non verbal expression of disconcert, insult, blame, verbal harassment, ridicule, intimidation, and yelling on start of care takers. Emotional mistreatment is one of most frequent and commonly occurring abuse that elders suffer throughout the nation.3. send away Elder neglect involves ignorance of basic needs and requirements of aged people, lack of shelter, absence of supervision and monitoring, deliberate oppose or denial in providing medical care and inadequate personal and hygienic care. 4. Emotional neglectfulness Emotional neglect leads to severe stress among old people.They are deliberately ignored, left to fend for themselves, not taken care of in such activities in which they require support and help of care-takers.5. financial Abuse Elders are lots abused financially by exploiting their financial resources and denying them the privileges of their own assets. Elders subjected to financial abuse are often deliberate ly isolated from rest of world by their caretakers to avoid exposure and detection of their fraud. Financial abuse of elders is a common occurrence when elders are not staying with their blood-relatives but with near relatives or friends. Reasons and warnings of abuseIn the researches in elder abuse, a pertinent focus of researchers has been on the causes that lead people to inflict abuse and mistreatment on people that are vulnerable, dependent and in need of love, care and emotional and often material support (Johnson, 1991). Finding the reasons for abuse becomes critical as it besides acts as pointer to realizable cases of abuses and mistreatment in many social and community settings where cases of abuse are not reported out of their sensitive nature. In explaining the cause of abuse, Bonnie and Wallace (2002) have presented a detailed socio-cultural model that identifies underlying processes in abuseOverview of model of elder mistreatment Meanwhile extensive research by a numb er of academicians and scholars has further helped to fashion a structured profile of abuser. An elderly person may be undergoing abuse or is extremely susceptible for it when the caretakers show psychopathological tendencies, trans-generational discrepancies, stressful life, economic hardships, burnout, drug-dependency, drinking problem, degree of dependence that is greater than care takers ability to handle, coercive and dominating nature of caretaker, inexperience, lack of sympathy and inability to feel empathy (Anetzberger , 1987 Anastasio , 1981Johnson, 1991).Elders may also be suffering abuse if they show constant fear of their care-giver, if there is a confrontational ambiance around, and if they are get suddenly isolated, uncommunicative and pensive. Preventing Elder Abuse It is a poignant fact that elders themselves can do little in preventing their abuse. In case of people who are completely dependent on care-givers, such as Alzheimers patients and terminally ill patien ts, their survival depends on the care-givers and hence they rarely report abuse incidents out of fear of antagonizing their care-givers.Therefore to prevent elder abuse requires a broad weapons platform that should focus on development of services for elderly care, training sessions for care givers, initiation and integration of family members in the elderly care programs. Moreover, it is vital to pass the message that adequate, compassionate and empathic care of elders is a holistic issue, one that has long term defining impact on social culture and ethics.