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One of the central questions that need to be addressed is why this form of abuse occurs with such general frequency. While there will always be those few individuals who should not be in responsible positions of care in nursing homes, this does not explain the wide and extensive range of abuse cases that have been reported. In other words there should be more in - depth research into the underlying causative factors that are behind these alarming abuse statistics. As Benson (1996) emphasizes, "... those who commit crimes, who abuse or neglect, clearly, solutions must be found to prevent this type of problem from continuing, and ombudsmen play key roles in identifying the problem in many areas" (Testimony on Elderly Abuse in Nursing Homes by William F. Benson).
On the other hand there are many ongoing attempts to remedy the present situation. Among the many options that are proposed to deal with nursing home abuse are the following: Improved coordination between the various agencies, such as law enforcement, regulatory, protective services, and advocacy organizations that are involved in nursing home care. (Nerenberg, 2002) an important aspect that is in urgent need of consideration is the question of improved conditions for staff and care workers in nursing homes. This also includes "... enhanced communication between direct care and administrative staff, more time to nurture relationships between staff and residents, humane salaries, opportunities for upward mobility, and greater recognition, respect and understanding for the difficult lives many workers lead" (Nerenberg, 2002).
Another proposal that has received attention is that the training of staff and workers should be improved. Training should focus more on interpersonal caregiving skills, managing difficult resident care situations, problem-solving and cultural issues. (Nerenberg, 2002). There should also be the development of an ethos of reporting perceived abuse in nursing homes. Other suggestions for improvement include a greater compliance with and adherence to federal regulations and a stricter enforcement...
While there has been in recent years a tendency to return to community assistance for the elderly, in reality the increasing numbers of elderly people in our society necessitates the use of nursing homes. Coupled with this is the decrease in more traditional extended family forms of caring for the aged. This means that in the future abuse in nursing homes will have to be remedied through strict and comprehensive measures backed up by research.
References
Elder Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect. Retrieved April 9, at http://www.personalinjuryfyi.com/elder_abuse.html
Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved April
9, at http://ag.ca.gov/bmfea/elder.php
Nerenberg, L. (2002) Abuse in Nursing Homes. National Center on Elder
Abuse. Retrieved April 9, at http://www.elderabusecenter.org/default.cfm?p=abuseinnursinghomes.cfm
Nursing Homes. Retrieved April 9, at http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:C33ufrQT8Z8J:www.gao.gov/new.items/d02312.pdf+Abuse+in+Nursing+Homes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=za
Nursing Home Abuse. U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform- Minority Office. Retrieved April 9, at http://www.elderabusecenter.org/default.cfm?p=nursinghomeabuse.cfm
Retrieved April 9, at http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t971105a.html
Tracking Abuse in Nursing Homes. (April 2007) Retrieved April 9, at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/31/health/main327525.shtml.
Nursing Home Abuse Irrespective of the fact that the sphere of elder ill-treatment prevention has traditionally been concentrated on ill-treatment in the domestic environment, growing interest is seen against the ill-treatment of residents in nursing homes. (Abuse in Nursing Homes) The origin of modern nursing home industry is traced during the post World War-II period in form of modern nursing home industry involving the construction and operation of profit making, medical
126). Although there are an increasing number of elderly in the United States today with many more expected in the future, the study of elder abuse is of fairly recent origin. During the last three decades of the 20th century, following the "discovery" of child abuse and domestic violence, scholars and professionals started taking an active interest in the subject of elder abuse. This increased attention from the academic
The speaker, however, quoted statistitics that demonstrated the vast majority of reported cases taking place in homes. The vast number of unreported cases also keeps the ignorance about this problem alive and well. Connected to these problems are other contributing factors such as the increased vulnerability of the elderly, their greater dependence, their susceptibility to dementia, a lack of basic awareness of the abuse, and the tendency to disbelieve reports
" References Cooney, C., & Mortimer, a. (1995). Elder Abuse and Dementia - a Pilot Study . International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 41, 276-283. Dong, X., Simon, M., de Leon, C.M., Fulmer, T., Beck, T., Hebert, L., et al. (2009). Elder Self-neglect and Abuse and Mortality Risk in a Community-Dwelling Population . Journal of the American Medical Association, 302(5), 517-526. Dong, X. (2005). Medical Implications of Elder Abuse and Neglect. Clinics in geriatric medicine,
Aside from direct physical, emotional, sexual abuse, or neglect, one of the most serious forms of elder abuse is the purposeful exploitation of access to confidential and financial information (LeBreton, 2008; SeniorsCanada, 2008). In many cases, these begin as crimes of opportunity rather than deliberate premeditation or planning, simply because those caring for the elderly have physical access to their private papers and information (LeBreton, 2008). Often, family members or professional
A lack of good relationships with staff can also result in a high risk factor for abuse from caregivers at these facilities. According to Woolf (1998), other factors that can contribute to the abuse of elderly persons, either in care facilities or in the home environment include external stress and intra-individual dynamics or personal problems. In terms of the former, a family members financial problems, job stress, or other issues