Elder Abuse Legislation

1.1 Explain why particular individuals and groups may be vulnerable to abuse and/or harm to self and other

Many people are supported in their homes by people who work along side the health and social care service such as social workers,nursers ,doctor and care givers or they may get support from their family members and friends. An elderly person may choose to stay in their own homes instead of a residential care home while seeking help and support from others,however this can lead to potential opportunities for abuse happening to the person who Is being looked after. When an individual is getting support at home by a carer, the individual being cared for is vulnerable and defenseless and therefor this makes them a target for abuse,another example is abuse by strangers,when an elderly person lives alone they are at risk of people calling at the door and then gaining access to their homes,they may steal items from them or mistreat them or cause intimidation.

At Adult Protective Services majority of our work involves investigation of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. At Adult Protective Services our job is to protect the vulnerable elderly population, as well as the population that have disabilities. “Only APS is statutorily authorized and responsible for investigating elder and vulnerable adult abuse and taking steps to protect the victims, and it is generally only APS that helps the most frail and incapacitated older persons”(Quin, 2012, p.68). When abuse is suspected, a case worker will reach out to all parties involved, such as the alleged victim, alleged perpetrator, and all collaterals. Unlike many other professions, case worker are not required to have any written consent to speak with

All individuals have the entitlement to living their lives exempt from aggression or any type of abuse. Circumstances of abuse at senior individuals frequently appear publicly although several occurrences of abuse could likewise go unannounced. Safeguarding older people is ever more recognized as a serious matter for society, with ongoing exposure of abusive and unjust systems and practices that defy social care practices and those who labor with adult deemed as at risk (previously referred to as vulnerable) (Scragg & Mantell, 2011). The above change resulted, as the terminology 'vulnerable adult ' was perceived as negatively meaning that the abused adult is partially responsible of the abuse occurring to him/her (Mandelstam, 2011).

7). Similarly, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), which is a federal law that will be discussed in detail later in this dissertation, defined child abuse and neglect as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm” (HHS, 2003, p. 44). All of the states in the U.S. have used the definitions developed by the WHO and CAPTA as the basis of their state

African American elder abuse is limited on its information when it comes to data and research. I found it very interesting and wanted to find out more about African American elder abuse. Who would think a person would want to abuse an elderly person who is already lacking in abilities and have impairments. As a African American man I have found it very common for individuals of my same race, African Americans to exploit their elders when it comes to finances and neglect abuse of the elders. I wanted to see could I find any correlation of a relationship that connects the African American race and elder abuse in some type of way. African American abuse started back when America was segregated and the White Americans

Laws against domestic violence are recent and it wasn't until the mid-1990s that each state had protection order laws. Even with laws in place, police and prosecutors are frequently slow to act, and by the time an abuse survivor seeks police or court intervention, he or she has typically experienced repeated and severe abuse. The question of how to prevent abuse persists. (Stoever, 9)

3.1 “Use a case study from a health or social care setting to identify the extent to which individuals are at risk of harm”.

Clearly identify the perpetrator and describe the circumstances leading to the abuse of the elder (risk factors)

NHS and community care act 1990: sets out the duties of local authorities to assess an individual’s needs and ensure that each individual receives the required services to which they are entitled.

According to recent data, the baby boom generation will have all retired by 2030, (AARP), which is only 15 years from now. The population in this generation will include 77 million more 65 and older individuals, not including the 54 million already in retirement and receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits. Please note that many seniors also receive some form of federal benefits such as military pensions, survivor’s benefits, annuities, investments income or an awarded settlement (Quad Agno, 14). Unfortunately, in our society driven many times by greed, this has placed our seniors in vulnerable positions, particularly when health and cognitive functions have declined; a slight disadvantage of becoming older (Quadagno,

Intimate partner violence is considered the most life-threatening and distressing family issue on a societal platform (Hamilton, Jaffe, & Campbell, 2013). The term family is utilized loosely as familial depictions vary, but to be certain the family has two partners that can be diversified roles and gender. By definition intimate partner violence illustrates a pattern of behaviors that are deliberate and intended to gain power and control over another person (Hamilton, Jaffe, & Campbell, 2013). Intimate partner violence does not need to be necessarily violent actions, but can be verbal threats, isolation, neglect, and disempowering tactics. The series of behaviors and violence can hastily escalate and the probability of homicide increases in those relationship dynamics. Not only is the victim at risk of death, but there are direct correlations to child deaths during the admission of the parent homicide and/or as a form of retaliation. Frequently child welfare is involved in

By the end of Confronting Elderly Abuse in America, I was crying and upset. I felt so bad for the victims, and I couldn’t believe that so many people could hurt the elderly. I believe the state stated in the documentary was that nearly 90% are abused by someone they know. It’s devastating to know that those being abused put so much trust in the ones they love without knowing their loved ones are abusing their power. Although, the majority of elderly abuse cases are caused by a loved one or caregiver there are those cases that person abused was picked at random like husband’s grandma.

Safeguarding means protecting individual’s health, comfort as well as human rights including enabling them to live free from harm, abuse as well as neglect.

Both older men and women can be at risk of abuse, though the majority of victims are women over the age of 70’s. There are five common types of abuse; physical, psychological, financial, sexual abuse and neglect.