Area of family gerontology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Area of family gerontology - Research Paper Example They are also not in a position to communicate the abuse and thus suffer in silence (IQ Nursing Homes.com, 2008). According to the reports from the U.S. General Accounting Office, 43% of elderly population will live in a nursing home during a lifetime and of these atleast 3 million will be subjected to abuse and atleast 300,000 will die following abuse and neglect at nursing homes (cited in Roberts, 2004). Abuse and negligence leads to violation of human rights of the elderly people who deserve to be respected and have the right to live with dignity and comfort. Infact, the very purpose of admitting then to nursing homes is to make them feel comfortable and get assistance round the clock. Exploitation of their physical and mental vulnerability by means of abuse and neglect needs to be condemned and prevented. Many organizations, groups, laws and reports have devised methods of prevention of abuse and neglect in nursing homes. This article explores some of the measures which help prev ent abuse and neglect. Focus and research statement Is abuse and neglect of elderly common in the nursing homes of United States? Background information Types of abuse in nursing homes Abuse in the elderly can be physical, sexual, emotional or even wrongful death. Financial exploitation and abuse can also occur. Most of the times, abuse occurs by the staff of the nursing home. However, abuse can occur from other residents of the nursing home too. This article mainly concentrates on abuse from the staff. Abuse of the residents can lead to many consequences which vary in intensity ranging from mild discomfort to serious consequences like dehydration, starvation, serious injuries, bedsores and even death. The most common forms of abuse are neglect and caretaking mistreatment (Griffore et al, 2009). Indicators of abuse and negligence in nursing homes In majority of cases, abuse is not obvious and may be missed easily if a family member or a loved person is not watching intentionally. Si nce most of the times, the elderly person is not in a position to address and communicate abuse and neglect which he or she is subjected to, the family member or the loved person must make effort to identify abuse and neglect through various signs and symptoms of abuse (IQ Nursing Homes.com, 2008). When the elderly person becomes withdrawn or non-communicative, emotional abuse must be suspected. Other signs and symptoms of emotional abuse are anxiety, agitation, involuntary seclusion, mood swings, feeling of low self esteem, depression and strange behaviour like sucking, rocking and biting. Since many elderly people develop these features as part of their disease and old age, presence of symptoms and signs of emotional abuse can be attributed to old age mental conditions (IQ Nursing Homes.com, 2008). One clue to the fact that these symptoms actually are due to abuse and neglect is the fact that the onset of symptoms has occurred after admission to the nursing home. Signs and symptom s of physical abuse are unexplained injuries or accidents leading to bruises, abrasions, cuts, damage to the skin, fractures, welts, burns, broken eye glasses, lacerations and