Elder Abuse

[Stacey]

Hello, I'm not sure if this is the best place to be posting this. Probably not, but for a sociology/families class I chose to do a research essay on elder abuse. I knew it was a serious and common occurance and I'm very much interested in it. I'm not sure what my main topic should be though. I'm not really thinking outside the box I guess. So far all I can think of for possible inquiry questions are: In what ways can people help victims of elder abuse? Who's responsibility is it to eliminate elder abuse? and who are responsible for the abuse? They're all kinda dry. I'm not sure what other topic I should use.

If anyone has any input that would be amazing.
Thanks very much,
Stacey R.

 

[Yasha]

Now that's a topic. I bet elder abuse is very common and most of the victims are captive to their caretakers.

I once had a job as a private duty nurse's aid to an elderly stroke victim. I got the job because she was non-verbal and I had worked with a few deaf mute people in a past mental health job. My job was to be her companion and try to help her regain any mobility, eating, verbal skills I could.

As it turned out, I ended up getting her off of half-a-dozen medications that were unnecessary. She was a wealthy gay property owner. After her stroke, apparently, several of her lovers took up the cause of living it up at her house and kept her all drugged up so she wouldn't be a 'nuisance.' Apparently it had gotten quite out of hand, as there was a whole list of folks that I was not to permit to see her if they showed up.

A second job ihad was a similar story of an elderly wealthy woman who had survived her husband and her children. She had become somewhat of a town fixture with her oldest son, before he died. every afternoon he would take her to their favorite restaurant/bar and get her drunk so that he could have his afternoons and evenings to himself. This story, of course, was never spoke of openly until after he died and she began to go through withdrawal from the alcohol.

I have only ever worked with these two elderly people in my whole life and two out of two were victims of abuse, if you ask me.

So, I guess it is very common. You can use those stories in your paper if you want to. They are completely true.
Sha

 

[sk8Joyful]

Now that's a topic. I bet elder abuse is very common and most of the victims are captive to their caretakers.

I once had a job as a private duty nurse's aid to an elderly stroke victim. I got the job because she was non-verbal and I had worked with a few deaf mute people in a past mental health job. My job was to be her companion and try to help her regain any mobility, eating, verbal skills I could.

As it turned out, I ended up getting her off of half-a-dozen medications that were unnecessary. She was a wealthy gay property owner. After her stroke, apparently, several of her lovers took up the cause of living it up at her house and kept her all drugged up so she wouldn't be a 'nuisance.' Apparently it had gotten quite out of hand, as there was a whole list of folks that I was not to permit to see her if they showed up.
A second job ihad was a similar story of an elderly wealthy woman who had survived her husband and her children.

I have only ever worked with these two elderly people in my whole life and two out of two were victims of abuse, if you ask me.
So, I guess it is very common. You can use those stories in your paper if you want to. They are completely true.
Sha

Congratulations !
Thank you so much, for serving to make a *Positivedifference* in these 2 people's lives !

Yes (as a nurse for 30+yrs): I know for a fact just how common ABUSE (and sadly not only of the Elderly, but anyone 'vulnerable') is, increasingly.

Good going... Keep up your good work, in Jesus' name, praising GOD

 

[sk8Joyful]

Hello, for a sociology/families class I chose to do a research essay on 'elder abuse'. I knew it was a serious and common occurance and I'm very much interested in it.
If anyone has any input that would be amazing.
Thanks very much, Stacey R.

Hi Stacey,
Great topic, and thank you for your sincere interest.

(with my nursing-background of 30+yrs, I happen to not only be very knowledgable re this dismal situation; but more importantly, I received high praise from DSHS for having made a significant-difference in the lives of several dozen Elderly under my direct-care, and leadership, in the late '90s).

1. who are responsible for the abuse?
and
2. Who's responsibility is it to eliminate elder abuse?
(these 2 go hand-in-hand, as you will recognize)
Prior to WW-2,
when families cared for each other *at home*, meaning (most, like over 90%)
Kids didn't get dropped off at day-care in diaper-stage; and
Aged didn't get dumped off in a Nursing-home to rot, society was more cohesively knit, than today.
Now, people lead increasingly selfish/fractured/isolated lives, sad but evidently true.
So can you tell: it's each Individual member's responsibility, to *care genuinely* for each other, in the family. - This is a message you can share at school, & in each of your communities... Just don't be too surprised if you find people not wanting to listen, or really care. (The world is getting sicker as we speak, and will only suffer more... Before Christ/God finally comes back, to
restore *Righteous peaceful rule*.)
~~
3. In what ways can people *help victims* of Elder abuse?
Well,
1. asking people to *personally*-care for each other for duration of all family-members life-spans.
and
2. Perhaps *volunteering* as a friend some hours every week, in any 1 of 1000's of institutions,
where 100,000's such live out their life, often abandoned by their family-of-birth.
(Yes,
we had 100+ volunteers in both a large hospital, plus 9 in an AFH that I managed, and where
I developed such a program)
and
3. How would you help any 'other' type of victim ? - by encouraging/enabling Elderly to speak-UP and out, yes.- very empowering. In the US, there is the Ombudsman-program, involved.

Well, this will get you started, or you can come back with more specific questions...

And again, thank you for Caring

 

[Stacey]

Thank you all so much for your comments, they were all very helpful and informative! Now I'm even more excited for the project, though a sad topic. -Stacey

 

[Stacey]

I made my thesis around how elder abuse has grown over the years/decades.