Mae Fountain

HSA3111

Bell

September 18, 2017

CHEP 1

Elder Abuse

Elderly people are breathing history books. Elderly people have seen so much and have

been through more than most young people could ever imagine. We should be listening to them

not abusing them. Elderly people are being taken advantage of every day whether it is physical

abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation; America needs to put an end to elderly

abuse.

For starters, one of the types of elderly abuse is physical abuse. Elderly people are being

physically abused every day. Elders are being beaten, which could lead to future impairments.

Other forms of physical abuse are throwing food or other objects at elders, and even denying

access to pain medication. Sadly Elder abuse is often misunderstood and dismissed as just a

family matter (An Age for Justice 2010). Another type of physical abuse is sexual abuse. Elders

are being abused with nonconsensual sexual contact of all kinds. Elders with dementia or

Alzheimers are more likely to suffer mistreatment due to their mental condition. (Lachs,

Pillemer 2015) Elders suffering from dementia trust their caretakers and might believe they are

not being physically abused therefor they will never tell anyone.
 Another type of elder abuse is emotional abuse. Not only are elderly people being

physically abused but they are being mentally and, emotionally abused by their caretakers.

Elders are being threatened by their loved ones and caretakers. For example If you do not buy

me a car, I am going to throw you into a nursing home. Elders are also being neglected by their

caretakers in relation to physiological abuse. When an elderly person is unable to fully take care

of themselves they are depending on someone else to feed them, clothe them, give them their

medications, and maintain their proper hygiene. Because of these harsh conditions abused

elders are more likely to live shorter lives (An Age for Justice 2010).

Furthermore, the last type of elderly abuse is financial exploitation. According to MetLife

Mature Market Institute, financial abuse robs Americas seniors of more than $2.6 billion

dollars a year (An Age for Justice 2010). Financial exploitation occurs when someone takes

money or assets from a vulnerable elderly person. (NAPSA 1). Financial exploitation normally

occurs without the elders consent or awareness to what is really being done. Types of financial

exploitation include; lottery scams, charity scams, identity theft, etc. Financial exploitation also

occurs in families. Certain family members might share joint checking accounts with their

grandparents, therefore; people they are close to could be stealing money from them.

Elder abuse is a very serious issue that needs more awareness. It is sad to know that

almost 90% of elder abuse cases involve a family member or a trusted individual (An Age for

Justice 2010). The United States has made efforts to put an end to elderly abuse by creating The

Elder Justice Act of 2010. According to the Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System The

Elder Justice Act of 2010 was incorporated into the Affordable Care Act to counter elder abuse,

neglect, and exploitation. (Shi, Singh p. 264) However elder, abuse is still an ongoing issue just

being swept under the rug. We are all going to be old one day therefore; we are likely to be
victims of elderly abuse. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2030, one in every five U.S.

residents will be 65 years or older; almost half of these Americans are likely to spend some time

in a nursing home.(Grant, Gregg 2017) Nursing homes are still getting away with elder abuse.

Patients are still getting bed sores and are sitting in their own fecal matter for hours to maybe

days. America needs to step up and start making more laws to protect the people we love.

Long-term care delivery affects not only terminally ill people but, also our seniors. Majority

of our seniors in nursing homes or assisted living facilities are on Medicare. Long-term care is

not covered by Medicare thus cost associated with this form of care can impose a major burden

on families (Shi, Singh p. 8) Family members who cannot afford these medical facilities for

their loved ones might hirer a caretaker. This caretaker might be abusing their loved one without

anyone ever knowing till it is too late.

On behalf of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dr.

Thomas E. Price. The United States needs to implement more laws to protect our senior citizens.

Also a review of what Medicare should cover. Medicare should cover all long-term care. Also,

family members volunteering to be caretakers for their loved ones should receive proper training

and routine care checks monthly.

 Works Cited

Elder Abuse NEJM. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2017, from

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1404688#t=article

Grant, R., & Gregg, R. A. (2017, August 01). Nursing Home Abuse Is The Health Care Story

You Should be Following. Retrieved September 20, 2017, from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/protecting-our-vulnerable-from-abuse-and-neglect-

the_us_5980c269e4b0d187a59690a0

Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2017). Essentials of the U.S. health care system (4th ed.). Burlington,

MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.p.8. p.264.

W. (2010, April 21). An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America. Retrieved

September 20, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eaJXBj87to

Where I found definition:

Elder Financial Exploitation. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2017, from http://www.napsa-

now.org/policy-advocacy/exploitation/