Is Patient Abuse Or Neglect Of Individuals Who Are Under The Care Of A Health Care Organization?

Elder abuse includes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as neglect, exploitation and abandonment of our older generation (Falk, 2012). The people that cause these injuries include the elderly person’s own family and staff members of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, medical rehabilitation facilities and hospitals (NCOA, 2017). There is approximately 1 in 10 older adults that have experienced some type of elder abuse in the United States (NCOA, 2017). Within these staggering numbers, only 1

In the 1990s, the Elder Abuse Task Force was established by the Secretary of the "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." The task force developed an action plan for identifying and preventing elder from being mistreated in health care setting. A National Institute on Elder Abuse was established in 1991 as part of the Administration on Aging 's Elder Care Campaign. Adult Protective Service programs now exist in each state to serve vulnerable adults, especially seniors who are at high risk of being abuse and neglect (AMA, 2015). Such actions have been brought to the attention of the public and physician concerning elderly abuse and neglect. Researchers have conducted studies to assess the scope and causes of mistreatment among the elderly (AMA, 2015). Laws have been enacted in each state for physicians and others to report suspected cases. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for emergency departments and their ambulatory care centers for identifying elder abuse, in addition to domestic violence and child abuse (AMA, 2015).

There are many types of abuse that occur in nursing homes, even though many do not even realize what all could be classified as abuse. When hearing abuse what is probably most thought of is physical abuse. It was reported that for elderly women with

Abuse is the violation of an individual 's human and civil rights by any other person or persons. The harm may be physical, psychological or emotional or may be directed at exploiting the vulnerability of the victim in a more subtle way. There are many different types of abuse such as physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, exploitation, discriminatory, institutional, bullying, self-harm and domestic abuse.

The Department of Health has defined abuse as “Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any person or persons” (No Secrets 2000).

Too often seniors refuse to report abuse, neglect, or crime against them out of fear of losing independence. It is a common misconception that being victimized will deem you unfit to live independently and will result in being placed in a facility of some sort. It is important that seniors feel they can turn to those around them with concerns and incidents that occur. In the event that a senior is not forthcoming with information there are a number of avenues that may involve reporting of suspected incidents. Hospitals, doctors, community service organizations, and long term care facilities can report suspected crimes to authorities or Department of Social Services in an effort to protect the individual. If a senior cannot properly protect themselves then health care professionals from all areas should have the ability to act on behalf of the individual to seek help but not dictate the overall outcome as a result. For example: simply finding that a person has been a victim of exploitation should not mean that a person be moved immediately into a facility forfeiting their right to care for themselves. All facilities acting to protect a senior should aim to preserve senior

This report aims to describe the abuse which may affect adults. Abuse is a term in which to describe an act of intentionally or unintentionally harming yourself or someone else leaving physical or emotional damage or effects. There are many types of abuse such as physical, sexual, psychological, exploitation, bullying, neglect and many more. It is difficult to categorise abuse as there could be many reasons behind the abuse and because there are so many types of abuse.

As Americans live longer, it is no surprise that the population of older adults has increased; consequently so has the ubiquitous problem of elder abuse. In the United States elder abuse is an exceedingly, overlooked public health hazard; which covers a wide range of abuses. Approximately 2 million adults, over the age of 60 are abused or mistreated each year. ("Elder Justice: A John A. Hartford Foundation Change AGEnts Issue Brief", 2016) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has defined elder abuse as "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, age 60 and older” (“Elder Abuse: Definitions”, 2016) Studies show a vast majority of health care professionals underestimate the occurrence of elder

Ohio, long-term care facilities, had several incidences of abuse not adequately investigated by the facility or reported to the Ohio Department of Health within 24 hours. Therefore, the subsequent reports due within five days were not completed (Ohio Health Care Association, 2016c). The staff members involved in the alleged abuse were not removed from patient care immediately and were permitted to work one week past the incident. The primary reason for not properly reporting these issues was that the nurse was “so busy that she did not think about it” (Ohio Health Care Association, 2016b, p. 2). “

Abuse can happen to anyone, but elderly adults residing in nursing homes are more vulnerable and have a higher risk for abuse (Rasansky Law Firm, 2006, para. 1). Elders are among the fastest growing in the population, and because of this many more elderly

Although the vast majority of nursing homes and their employees provide exemplary care to our senior and disabled loved ones, medical mistakes, abuse and neglect can and does happen. When those whom we depend on to provide care to this especially fragile population abuse this trust – whether they be doctors, nurses, nurses aides or other nursing home employees – the resulting injuries can be especially tragic and heartbreaking. In addition, not only are the nursing home residents themselves injured, but the residents’ family, adult children and relatives are also “injured” to the extent that their trust in the nursing home was

Elder abuse. Elder abuse is an umbrella term that encompasses physical, sexual, emotional, or financial abuse of an elderly, frail individual. All states have reporting laws for health professionals who encounter elder abuse, neglect, or self-neglect, but reporting is not mandated by every state. Colorado law, for example "strongly urges" and suggests that a report "should be made" but does not mandate such a report. Even when reporting is mandated, health professionals infrequently report abuse of an elder. Physicians often fail to report abuse because of concerns about conflict and loss of trust in the patient-provider relationship. Physicians have also voiced concerns about malpractice and personal liability if a report of abuse turns out to be ungrounded.

Enforcing laws in nursing and care facilities will directly benefit both the elderly patients and the care physician. With laws enforced, and families and patients informed, a world of worry dissolves from the patient and the family. When patients and families don’t need to worry about the safety or livelihood in a nursing or care home, it benefits everyone. The census bureau states, “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people 65 years of age and older accounted for 12.5% of the US population in 2000” (Sellas M.D.). It would be a huge relief for everyone if laws were enforced. Also, the work environment for the care and nursing physicians would greatly benefit from the enforcement of elder abuse safety regulations. As stated previously, most acts of violence in the nursing and care fields occur when employees collect low wages and feel miserable because of their working environment. When the government enforces laws, it creates a better working environment and then a safer environment for patients. In many cases, nurses and other caregivers may not know exactly what forms elder abuse can take. They need to be informed, in a variety of ways. According to the Oxford Journal, “There is an annual world Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the

As I did my research I had noticed that there are multiple risk factors that contribute to elder abuse and neglect such as the individual who is taking care of the elder individual has experienced abuse as a child, inadequate coping skills, caregiver role strain and so forth (CDC 2017). On a daily basis many accounts of elder abuse goes unnoticed for so long, it takes a well-trained individual to discover elder abuse. The same patient on the floor that has that one caregiver who is always attentive to their care may also be the one who is struggling to take care of the patient as well as themselves and that alone can turn into an abusive situation

Elder Abuse is defined as any activity performed by an individual whereby these actions cause suffering of the older adult, intentionally or not (Touhy, Jett, Boscart & McCleary, 2012, p. 378). Unfortunately, the incidents of elder abuse continue to rise with the increasing number of people entering older adulthood. It is interesting to note that although elder abuse is highly under reported its occurrence increased three fold over a ten-year period (Friese & Collopy, 2010, p. 61). Certainly, it is a nurse’s duty to provide holistic care to his or her patients, which must include protection from abuse. Elder abuse can take on many forms including physical, emotional, sexual, neglect and financial. It is important to note that for the