Elder Abuse and Mistreatment

Elder abuse is a critical public health issue. More than 10% of older adults aged above 60 years face abuse. In the US, the elders lose more than $2.9 billion dollars annually, with survivors reporting higher rates of depression and withdrawal social interaction. The articles below are some of the essential literature that accompanies the growing concern by relevant bodies to understand the concept, barriers, effects, and preventive strategies to deal with the vice.

Molinelli, A., Ventura, F., Pinto, S. L., Drommi, M., & De Stefano, F. (2017). Elder abuse in Europe’s “most elderly” city: an assessment of the phenomenon and an analysis of the Penal Court of Genoa data from 2010 to 2015. Ageing clinical and experimental research, 29(6), 1285-1290.

 The author assesses the frequency and modality of elder abuse in Genoa and compares the data with those documented in the literature. The article’s objective is to get evidence-based information on the current situation to aid authorities in combating the phenomenon.

From the data regarding crime, only 19 cases were of (7%) of elder abuse. Besides, most of the cases happened in a domestic setting and rarely in residential facilities. Notably, the findings differ from the alarming media coverage impression that the elderly institutions are the major causes for elderly mistreatment and abuse. The research indicates that the media heighten the people’s fear of the institution. The study reveals the need for daily caregiving. However, enforced cohabitation with family increases the risk of maltreatment and often acts as a source of stress and uneasiness in the long term.

Wangmo, T., Nordström, K., & Kressig, R. W. (2017). Preventing elder abuse and neglect in geriatric institutions: Solutions from nursing care providers. Geriatric Nursing, 38(5), 385-392.

 The article is essential in developing solutions to curb elderly abuse in nursing home facilitates. The study explores the reasons and ways in which neglect occurs in geriatric institutions. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 23 nursing care providers in eight months. Neglect by the caregivers to satisfy the elderly was the most common form of abuse. The nurses were struggling with turnover, stress, and burnout, which led to poor care. Some of the solutions for the nurses to provide adequate healthcare include addressing the staff-to-patient ratio, addressing rising challenges swiftly, fostering team dynamics, providing appropriate healthcare, and proper administrative distribution of work.

 The research is limited since it concentrated on a small sample size of employees, making it difficult to generalize in the population. The research was conducted at the workplace and might have influenced the interviewees’ responses.

Orfila, F., Coma-Solé, M., Cabanas, M., Cegri-Lombardo, F., Moleras-Serra, A., & Pujol-Ribera, E. (2018). Family caregiver mistreatment of the elderly: prevalence of risk and associated factors. BMC public health, 18(1), 1-14.

The current study aims to estimate the prevalence of risk of abuse against the elderly population that is highly dependent on family caregivers. In addition, the research purposes of illustrating the relation between risk the magnitude of the caregiver’s anxiety, depression, and responsibility.

The multivariate analysis that was performed using logistic regression indicated that the majority of caregivers were women (82.8%), most caregivers and dependents lived in the same room (87.4%) and had a better previous relation (86.6%). Most recipients were women (65.6%), and 64.25% of the dependents had moderate-severe cognitive impairment. Finally, the study indicates a high risk of family caregiving, with caregivers feeling the burden, anxiety, and perception of aggressive behaviour, 95% and above. The results can only be applied in a similar situation. In addition, the CASE tool used has high sensitivity and low specificity and does not scan for all abuse.

Breckman, R., Burnes, D., Ross, S., Marshall, P. C., Suitor, J. J., Lachs, M. S., & Pillemer, K. (2018). When helping hurts: Nonabusing family, friends, and neighbours in the lives of elderly mistreatment victims. The Gerontologist, 58(4), 719-723.

 The research aim was to identify the non-abusing support system of the victim (family, friends, and neighbours) and the level of distress they experienced in helping. The study involved a random sampling of 1000 candidates. Data were collected via telephone survey with multiple regressions to test the association between helping status and distress. Notably, almost 30% of the respondents had known a friend, neighbour, or relative who experienced abuse. 67% of the respondents reported distress, high-level distress exceeding 80% of the measuring criteria. Hence, helping the abused elderly was highly correlated with the level of personal distress.

The study helps offer an alternative perspective to elderly abuse. However, it is limited since the survey questions are restricted, forcing the participants to choose based on prevalence rather than comprehension. In addition, the information required is spread throughout a lifetime rather than specific periods like annual prevalence.

Adib, M., Esmaeili, M., Zakerimoghadam, M., & Nayeri, N. D. (2019). Barriers to help-seeking for elder abuse: A qualitative study of older adults. Geriatric Nursing, 40(6), 565-571.

The present research explored the barriers the elderly abused and mistreated face. Additionally, the research aimed to study preventive measures and strategies to curb the abuse. 18 elderly maltreated were selected through purposive sampling. Structured interviews were utilized for data collection.

The barriers to seeking help for the elders abused were grouped into three: personal attitude toward abuse, the inefficiency of the support system, and dependency on others. The abused elders were tolerant of abuse and attributed their suffering from their family members as atonement for their sins. The study was limited by the advanced age of the participants that interrupted or prolonged the interview and the small sample size, invalidating the generalization of the data to many areas. However, the research aids in comprehending the way culture and personal attitude influenced the mistreated elders in seeking help.