Elder Abuse Research Paper

ELDER ABUSE AT HOME AND OLD AGE HOMES
The abuse of an elderly has remained a private matter which was only seen as a social welfare issue and was very well hidden from the society. Like the other forms of family violence, it has developed into a public health and criminal justice concern where the focus is on the dealing with elder abuse. This chapter focuses on abuse of elderly by family members or others known to them, either in their homes or in residential or other institutional settings.
Defining Elder Abuse
In old age, an individual experiences a decline in physical and mental activity. There is also a gradual shift in economic status moving from economic independence to economic dependence. Elders are vulnerable and subjected to various …show more content…
It may be physical, psychological, financial, sexual and neglect. The kind of abuse depends on the frequency of mistreatment, its duration, severity and consequences, and above all, the cultural context. In other words, elder abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights that causes distress and manifests itself once or repeatedly.
Different words and phrases are commonly used to mean the Elder Abuse like elder mistreatment, senior abuse, abuse in later life, abuse of older adults. Generally, elder abuse can be understood as any form of behavior(s) that leads to an opposition to the wellbeing of an old person and that is against the general principle of "respect to elders and protection to weaker".
Elder Abuse was known as mistreatment of older people and was first described in a British scientific journal as ‘‘granny battering’’ (Baker, 1975). Later, many researchers defined the construct of elder abuse differently. Johnson (1986) defined elder abuse as a state of self or other inflicted suffering unnecessary to the maintenance of the quality of life of the older person. This definition views elder abuse in terms of suffering as a determinant of whether mistreatment has …show more content…
They also viewed it as series of actions in a relationship of trust or dependence that produces physical or psychological harm. This harm may be caused by caregivers such as spouse, family members or friends or may be the result of a lack of training of social and health institutions, who cannot meet the needs of older persons.
So, elder abuse involves some series of actions by the caregiver like willful deprivation of goods and services which are necessary to avoid physical and psychological harm that ultimately produces physical and psychological distress. Communication patterns between the elderly and the caregiver are important because it gives an overall understanding of the wellbeing of the elder

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