Elderly Neglect
Our Elders are People Too
Our Elders are People Too.
A large amount of the population in our country aren’t seeing and understanding what is happening behind closed doors to nursing homes. All nursing homes aren’t as safe and trustworthy as many assume. Nursing Homes, meant to be safe living for the elderly to be cared for in their golden years have turned into a nightmare for senior citizens across the country, being a target for countless acts of neglect and abuse. “It is an unfortunate fact that elder abuse is a widespread problem and older adults are exposed to abuse not only in domestic settings, but also in human service settings. Maltreatment of Patients in Nursing Homes” (Lee, 2007 Para.1)
The thought of the matter is disturbing, but the abuse and neglect of our elders is happening way too frequently in our country. When one is an elderly person he or she is automatically more vulnerable than a younger person, and putting them in a nursing facility makes them even more vulnerable, because it simply means he or she can’t fend or defend themselves
There are multiple types of abuse that takes place in our nursing homes that many are very unfamiliar with. The first type of abuse is physical abuse, this type of abuse is a non-accidental abuse done by touching, pushing, hitting, and anything that is physically done to a resident by another resident, or even many that work at the facility such as nurses/ caregivers. Along with physical abuse there is emotional abuse. Emotional abuse can be when the resident is having stress, depression, or anxiety and the caregiver chooses to yell and abuse verbally, which causes the disease to become worse. This as well can be caused from other residents or workers.
Third type of abuse is financial fraud. This type abuse is basically taking advantage of the elders that don’t really understand what is going on. This can include billing for procedures or medicines that have not taken place. The companies earn the trust
Our Elders are People Too.
A large amount of the population in our country aren’t seeing and understanding what is happening behind closed doors to nursing homes. All nursing homes aren’t as safe and trustworthy as many assume. Nursing Homes, meant to be safe living for the elderly to be cared for in their golden years have turned into a nightmare for senior citizens across the country, being a target for countless acts of neglect and abuse. “It is an unfortunate fact that elder abuse is a widespread problem and older adults are exposed to abuse not only in domestic settings, but also in human service settings. Maltreatment of Patients in Nursing Homes” (Lee, 2007 Para.1)
The thought of the matter is disturbing, but the abuse and neglect of our elders is happening way too frequently in our country. When one is an elderly person he or she is automatically more vulnerable than a younger person, and putting them in a nursing facility makes them even more vulnerable, because it simply means he or she can’t fend or defend themselves
There are multiple types of abuse that takes place in our nursing homes that many are very unfamiliar with. The first type of abuse is physical abuse, this type of abuse is a non-accidental abuse done by touching, pushing, hitting, and anything that is physically done to a resident by another resident, or even many that work at the facility such as nurses/ caregivers. Along with physical abuse there is emotional abuse. Emotional abuse can be when the resident is having stress, depression, or anxiety and the caregiver chooses to yell and abuse verbally, which causes the disease to become worse. This as well can be caused from other residents or workers.
Third type of abuse is financial fraud. This type abuse is basically taking advantage of the elders that don’t really understand what is going on. This can include billing for procedures or medicines that have not taken place. The companies earn the trust
References: McCarthy,M (2002, March 3). Report Finds Abuse in US Nursing Homes Goes Unreported and Unpunished. Lancet Lee, M. (2007, August).Maltreatment of Patients in Nursing Homes: There Is No Place Safe. Oxford University Press. McGarry, J. (2007, March). Nursing Students and Elder Abuse: Developing a Learning Resource Trade Journals Sheehan, P. (2011, June). Zero Tolerance: Long term Management Care. Trade Journals Robinson, L., Benedicts, T., & Seagel, J. (2012, April). Elder Abuse and Neglect. helpguide.org . Retrieved May 4, 2012, from http://http://www.helpguide.org/mental/elder_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm