Elder Abuse Case Study
Elder Abuse
According to the National Research Council (2003) elder abuse is a deliberate action that cause injury or generate serious risk of harm to a vulnerable older adult by a caregiver or other person who is in charge of the elder. In the United States, 700,000 to 1.2 million of senior are exposed to abuse and there are 450,000 new cases yearly (Bond and Butler, 2013). In fact, elder abuse and neglect is a critical health care issue that must be brought to the attention of health care providers and older adults family members. Specifically the most vulnerable to abuse and neglect amongst this population are elder persons, who are socially isolated, cogitatively impaired, or dependent on others for daily personal care. Moreover, older adult are primarily abused, neglected or exploited by caregiver, mostly spouses, adult, children or other family members. Also, Personal care attendants may perform …show more content…
In fact, because of the hidden nature of senior’s mistreatment, it is particularly challenging to identify the domestic setting abuse. Thus, a validated screening instrument that can provide a systematic assessment of risk factors can facilitate this detection. Opportunities for abuse detection and intervention occur daily in health care settings through the elder assessment instrument “Screening for mistreatment of older adult”(Fulmer, 2008). In addition, the descriptions of the types of abuse and their signs and symptoms should be included in the training and education of family members and health care workers who care for older adults. Older adults experiencing abuse may be unable to communicate clearly, their bruises may be attributed to the aging process, or they may be fearful and hesitant to report abuse (Wieland, 2000). Indications of physical abuse should signal healthcare providers to evaluate for other kinds of abuse, such as sexual
According to the National Research Council (2003) elder abuse is a deliberate action that cause injury or generate serious risk of harm to a vulnerable older adult by a caregiver or other person who is in charge of the elder. In the United States, 700,000 to 1.2 million of senior are exposed to abuse and there are 450,000 new cases yearly (Bond and Butler, 2013). In fact, elder abuse and neglect is a critical health care issue that must be brought to the attention of health care providers and older adults family members. Specifically the most vulnerable to abuse and neglect amongst this population are elder persons, who are socially isolated, cogitatively impaired, or dependent on others for daily personal care. Moreover, older adult are primarily abused, neglected or exploited by caregiver, mostly spouses, adult, children or other family members. Also, Personal care attendants may perform …show more content…
In fact, because of the hidden nature of senior’s mistreatment, it is particularly challenging to identify the domestic setting abuse. Thus, a validated screening instrument that can provide a systematic assessment of risk factors can facilitate this detection. Opportunities for abuse detection and intervention occur daily in health care settings through the elder assessment instrument “Screening for mistreatment of older adult”(Fulmer, 2008). In addition, the descriptions of the types of abuse and their signs and symptoms should be included in the training and education of family members and health care workers who care for older adults. Older adults experiencing abuse may be unable to communicate clearly, their bruises may be attributed to the aging process, or they may be fearful and hesitant to report abuse (Wieland, 2000). Indications of physical abuse should signal healthcare providers to evaluate for other kinds of abuse, such as sexual