Why Elder Abuse Exist

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Pages: 5

it is understood why many choose not to come forward. The elderly population is growing which means that there will be more and more incidents of elder abuse that exist. Unless the proper research is done in order to indicate the varying risk factors, many of what is to be known regarding elder abuse will be left in the dark. This will affect policy, funding and public health because it needs to be known. These are issues that have to be taken care of right now instead of constantly being snubbed for what may be deemed as more important. Nurses and other medical professionals may be aware that elder abuse exists, but they are not as informed of the many different types. This is why it is imperative that further research studies are performed …show more content…
This can be blamed on a variety of things, but that is not the issue at stake. The abuse that occurs happens not only in those that are free, but to those that are currently incarcerated. Many people may say these offenders deserve what they are given because they are in jail, but abuse is still abuse and elders should not be victims in their fragile state. It is also a costly venture in order to take care of elders because of many have more than one medical condition and that medical expenses increase as one ages (Maschi & Aday, 2014). Elder abuse exists whether it is reported by the victims, the witnesses or the actual abusers. The fact that it goes largely unreported is the major issue. This hinders policy as many are not educated on the magnitude of abuse that can occur. If a person is on the tail end of abuse while being outside of a prison, then it is by far worse for those that are serving time for a crime. Nurses are able to advocate for these changes to policy so that others are able to see that elder abuse on any level and in any circumstance should not and will not be …show more content…
This act established an advisory board that was to submit a report outlining a plan for elder abuse justice, established a council to make recommendations for all government levels and communities agencies and how they are able to coordinate with one another, authorizes funds for staff training and incentives for those that wish to provide long term care for elders and a host of other points that aimed to take care of those elders that suffered from abuse at any given time. At this current time, the funds have never been appropriated by Congress which means that although this act has passed, the funds have not yet been put in place (The Elder Justice Coalition, 2017). It appears that although it is shown to be a substantial enough issue to have legislation implemented regarding it, it is not that big of a deal to policy-makers to actually come through with what they set forth to do. It is a harsh reality to know that many elders suffer at the hands of their relatives and even their children while it could possibly be avoided if the Elder Justice Act was actually funded and put into place as it should