Magen Long
English 112
March 3, 2013
Mrs. Sara Horne
Elder Abuse
Adult elderly abuse has become a growing problem in our America over the past ten years, research has shown that 1 to 2 million Americans ages 65 and older have been injured. Out of those who are injured, exploited, or otherwise neglected is it done so by a family member, close friend or someone they depend on to care and protect them. There is also more extensive abuse such as abandonment, financial or material exploration and self-neglecting with any of these types of abuse they are most always never reported due to fear.
The rise of elder abuse in home settings has also caused a rise in hospital care for the elders because they are being admitted when at near deaths door for care. In turn the elderly person then is turned over to state care and placed in long-term care which brings us to the next place of elderly abuse. Due to the increasing numbers for patients over the years the workloads for the care givers are too much and the patients are being neglected by lack of care. These elderly patients also sometimes get abused, sexually, physically, mentally, emotionally and are most often abandoned. With the mental most of their mental statuses they wouldn’t be able to tell anyone with words what is really going on and if they did no one would believe them. Most of the time the dementia plays such a big role in what they say that what is said is just played of as made up stuff the heard or seen on TV. (Gloria Gutman “1st ed Aging, ageism and abuse: moving from awareness to action.” Charmaine Spencer. Amsterdam; Boston: Elsevier, c2010.)
Awareness of abuse and reporting to the proper authorizes is somewhat of a challenge due to the legal definitions of what is and is not elder abuse vary from state to state. The law protects the right of an older person to be free from abuse and neglect. But, if the person is able to make informed decisions, the law also protects...