Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
HSA3111
Bell
CHEP 1
Elder Abuse
Elderly people are breathing history books. Elderly people have seen so much and have
been through more than most young people could ever imagine. We should be listening to them
not abusing them. Elderly people are being taken advantage of every day whether it is physical
abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation; America needs to put an end to elderly
abuse.
For starters, one of the types of elderly abuse is physical abuse. Elderly people are being
physically abused every day. Elders are being beaten, which could lead to future impairments.
Other forms of physical abuse are throwing food or other objects at elders, and even denying
access to pain medication. Sadly Elder abuse is often misunderstood and dismissed as just a
family matter (An Age for Justice 2010). Another type of physical abuse is sexual abuse. Elders
are being abused with nonconsensual sexual contact of all kinds. Elders with dementia or
Alzheimers are more likely to suffer mistreatment due to their mental condition. (Lachs,
Pillemer 2015) Elders suffering from dementia trust their caretakers and might believe they are
not being physically abused therefor they will never tell anyone.
Another type of elder abuse is emotional abuse. Not only are elderly people being
physically abused but they are being mentally and, emotionally abused by their caretakers.
Elders are being threatened by their loved ones and caretakers. For example If you do not buy
me a car, I am going to throw you into a nursing home. Elders are also being neglected by their
caretakers in relation to physiological abuse. When an elderly person is unable to fully take care
of themselves they are depending on someone else to feed them, clothe them, give them their
medications, and maintain their proper hygiene. Because of these harsh conditions abused
elders are more likely to live shorter lives (An Age for Justice 2010).
Furthermore, the last type of elderly abuse is financial exploitation. According to MetLife
Mature Market Institute, financial abuse robs Americas seniors of more than $2.6 billion
dollars a year (An Age for Justice 2010). Financial exploitation occurs when someone takes
money or assets from a vulnerable elderly person. (NAPSA 1). Financial exploitation normally
occurs without the elders consent or awareness to what is really being done. Types of financial
exploitation include; lottery scams, charity scams, identity theft, etc. Financial exploitation also
occurs in families. Certain family members might share joint checking accounts with their
grandparents, therefore; people they are close to could be stealing money from them.
Elder abuse is a very serious issue that needs more awareness. It is sad to know that
almost 90% of elder abuse cases involve a family member or a trusted individual (An Age for
Justice 2010). The United States has made efforts to put an end to elderly abuse by creating The
Elder Justice Act of 2010. According to the Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System The
Elder Justice Act of 2010 was incorporated into the Affordable Care Act to counter elder abuse,
neglect, and exploitation. (Shi, Singh p. 264) However elder, abuse is still an ongoing issue just
being swept under the rug. We are all going to be old one day therefore; we are likely to be
victims of elderly abuse. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2030, one in every five U.S.
residents will be 65 years or older; almost half of these Americans are likely to spend some time
in a nursing home.(Grant, Gregg 2017) Nursing homes are still getting away with elder abuse.
Patients are still getting bed sores and are sitting in their own fecal matter for hours to maybe
days. America needs to step up and start making more laws to protect the people we love.
Long-term care delivery affects not only terminally ill people but, also our seniors. Majority
of our seniors in nursing homes or assisted living facilities are on Medicare. Long-term care is
not covered by Medicare thus cost associated with this form of care can impose a major burden
on families (Shi, Singh p. 8) Family members who cannot afford these medical facilities for
their loved ones might hirer a caretaker. This caretaker might be abusing their loved one without
On behalf of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dr.
Thomas E. Price. The United States needs to implement more laws to protect our senior citizens.
Also a review of what Medicare should cover. Medicare should cover all long-term care. Also,
family members volunteering to be caretakers for their loved ones should receive proper training
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1404688#t=article
Grant, R., & Gregg, R. A. (2017, August 01). Nursing Home Abuse Is The Health Care Story
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/protecting-our-vulnerable-from-abuse-and-neglect-
the_us_5980c269e4b0d187a59690a0
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2017). Essentials of the U.S. health care system (4th ed.). Burlington,
W. (2010, April 21). An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America. Retrieved
Elder Financial Exploitation. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2017, from http://www.napsa-
now.org/policy-advocacy/exploitation/