Abstract

Elder abuse is an intentional act or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult (Mihan Lee, Tony Rosen, Kieran Murphy & Pallavi Sagar, 2019). The elderly by category are those aged 60 or over. Some statistics state that as many as 1 in 10 elders have been abused, over 5,000,000 abused each year. In a study, it was reported that as many as 24.3% of residents experienced at least one instance of physical abuse while in a nursing home (Nursing Home, n.d.). In this paper, I will discuss the types of abuse: physical, sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact, emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, and financial abuse or exploitation; as well as how to recognize it. In many studies, our figures on abuse of elderly people in nursing homes are far from effective, because most medical institutions do not report abuse. Many employees are not trained on who to report abuse to or how to recognize abuse. I will describe ways to prevent abuse through employer training, facilities upgrade and discrimination seminars. Abuse is not always physical; abuse can be by ageism, which is the prejudice or discrimination on the ground of a person’s age. Ageism or age discrimination is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age-based prejudice, which is either ingrained through social media, public eye or systematic (Ageing and life-course, n.d.). Interpersonal and community efforts are needed to detect and prevent age discrimination. Ageism is a negative and prejudicial attitude towards older persons which is based on stereotypes. Personal ageism, institutional ageism, and intentional/unintentional ageism are forms of elderly abuse. Support groups are organizing to fight the increasing elderly population with the Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act, as well as Age Pride, which is a federally funded longitudinal national project.

Year Manuscript Completed

Spring 2020

Senior Project Advisor

G. Michael Barton

Degree Awarded

Bachelor of Integrated Studies Degree

Field of Study

Health Care Administration

Document Type

Thesis - Murray State Access only

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