The Victims of Elder Abuse Essay -- Elderly Abuse Crisis

Elder abuse has been present in society from past times. Evidence of elder abuse can be found in Shakespeare writings and literature, and also in Greek mythology. Despite its’ constant presence throughout time, it is only recently that serious attention has been given to elderly violence. The main reason for the new recognition of this old problem is the increasing number of aging Americans. (National Center for Victims of Crime). Elderly abuse in modern times is more prevalent that in ancient times, because of the few that were tasked with the duties. In past generations, the duties of caring for the elderly were shared among the members of large extended families. However, due to the emergence of a strained economy, and smaller nuclear families there is less time and family members to care for the elders within each family. The definition for elderly abuse varies from state to state within the US. A common middle ground in all definitions is that elderly abuse is an y physical, psychological, or maternal abuse towards an elderly person. In summary, it is the violation of the elder’s rights to safety, security and adequate healthcare. (Wyandt). Due to the various definitions of elderly abuse across the board, the act has been categorized in different typologies. Physical abuse, Verbal/Psychological abuse and Financial abuse are three main types of elderly abuse. TYPES OF ELDER ABUSE The physical abuse of elderly may include restraining, slapping, hitting, bruising, and other forms of physical abuse that result in pain or injury, sexual abuse, sexually molestation, and rape. Verbal abuse or psychological abuse usually involves inflicting mental anguish, humiliation, intimidation, yelling, and threats. Keeping an ... ...ca." National Research Council (U.S.). Panel to Review Risk and Prevalence of Elder Abuse and Neglect. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press, 2003. 238-240. †¢ Hudson, M. F. and J. R. Carlson. "Elder abuse: Expert and public perspectives on its meaning." Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect 9.4 (1998): 77-97. †¢ Hudson, Margaret F, et al. "The Gerontologist." Elder Abuse: Two Native American Views 1998, 38 ed.: 538-548. †¢ Le, Q. K. "Mistreatment of Vietnamese elderly by their families in the United States." Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect 9.2 (1997): 51-62. †¢ National Center for Victims of Crime. ELDER ABUSE. 2004. 07 MAR 2010 . †¢ Wyandt, A. Mary. "A Review of Elder Abuse Literature: An Age Old Problem Brought to Light." Californian Journal of Health Promotion 2.3 (2004): 40-52.