Elder Abuse Research Paper

Elder abuse is the term used when the health or wellbeing of an older adult isthreatened. Rather than “elder” some people may use the term “senior” or “older adult”.This is a very serious social issue as we will all become older and are, therefore, all atrisk of experiencing this type of oppression at one point or another. Older adults havethe right to live safely, to be treated with respect, and to manage their own affairs. Whensomeone violates those rights and/or causes harm it is referred to as abuse.The abused person may or may not realize that their rights have been violated.Bystanders might suspect something is wrong, but be unwilling to get involved orunsure about what to do. Most often the person causing the harm is someone in aposition …show more content…
(Cunningham, J., 2015). Thisform of abuse involves unauthorized use of an elderly person’s funds or property, eitherby a caregiver or an outside scam artist. The caregiver may also take advantage of theolder adult’s condition and persuasively gain authorization for access to funds. Someexamples of this might be misuse or theft of the older adult’s cash, personal cheques,credit cards or bank accounts, identity theft included. (Schoepflin, B., 2016).Physical abuse is non-accidental use of force against an elderly person that mayor may not result in physical pain, injury, or impairment. This form of abuse is not limitedto physical assaults, such as hitting, shoving, or slapping. Physical abuse could alsoinclude the inappropriate use of drugs, restraints, or confinement. (Schoepflin, B.,2016).Sexual abuse is any sexual behaviour directed toward an older adult without thatperson’s full knowledge and/or consent. Such contact can involve physical sex acts,such as touching, fondling, kissing, or intercourse. It may also include making sexualremarks, showing an elderly person pornographic material, forcing the person to watchsexual acts, or forcing the elder to …show more content…
There are many signs to look for if you suspect a loved one might be sexualabused. Some of these signs may include bruising around the breasts, inner thighs orgenital area, unexplained genital infections, sudden difficulty walking or sitting, or eventorn or bloody clothing. (Etkin, M. 2016).Psychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse, is any action, verbal ornon-verbal, that lessens a person’s sense of identity, dignity or self-worth. Someexamples of psychological abuse may include words that are hurtful or demeaning,treating the older adult like a child, threatening, not respecting the older adult’s wishesor belongings, isolation, verbal intimidation, and more. If concerned, some signs to lookfor may consist of low self-esteem, lack of eye contact, hesitation to talk for his orherself, fearfulness and nervousness around abuser, etc. (Etkin, M. 2016).Neglect is not meeting the basic needs of the older person. There are two typesof neglect: Active and Passive. Active neglect is the intentional withholding of care orthe basic necessities of life to an older adult the abuser is caring

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