Elderly Abuse And Neglect

For far too long the elderly have been exposed to ill treatment caused by physical abuse, mental abuse, and neglect. Many of Newark’s nursing homes are understaffed, which contributes to the neglect the elders face that leads to depression and later drug addiction. By realizing the importance of the inclusion of elders in society one will come to understand that the elders are a source of wisdom and provide the gateway to gaining knowledge of the past. In Jorunn Drageset’s article, he discusses the factors that contribute to the social isolation of the elders within nursing homes. The article by authors Claudia Cooper, Amber Selwood, and Gill Livingston, discuss the types of abuse elders are exposed to in nursing homes along with the need

By increasing the types of activities such as social and support groups the elderly will have somewhere to turn to when they feel neglected or lonely. The emotional trauma that the elderly face from the isolation and the lack of the physical abilities they were once capable of causes them to be unable to find joy in their current “home” because of their attachment to a past life. Neglect adds to the emotion sadness and loneliness that the elderly face and they deserve to be treated as human beings rather than customers seeking healthcare. In the article by Claudia Cooper, Amber Selwood, and Gill Livingston, the authors state, “Only a small proportion of elder abuse is currently known to protective services. “We suggest that routinely asking older people and their carers about abuse, and detection strategies in care homes including whistle-blowing could help improve reporting.”(Cooper, Selwood, Livingston 159). Detecting abuse in nursing homes is key to providing better treatment of elders. In most cases abuse reports have been set aside and not investigated, which can be observed in Dr. Kennedy’s article where he voices, “...our results indicate that when respondents suspected or recognized elder treatment, they did not always act appropriately. The majority of physicians in this study did about instances of their mistreatment”. (Kennedy 484). Neglect of elders is a national public health issue that even doctors are taking a part of. This lack of acknowledgement has lead to many of the problems the elders are facing and is the reason for the unstable relationship between the carers and elders in nursing home facilities. However, if taken with more urgency, abuse can be detected and dealt with in order improve the quality of life the elders