Good for the elderly
Aging abuse may have major effects for the physical and emotional health of the elderly, as well as for their financial and social well-being. These consequences can include physical injury, early death, depression, cognitive decline, financial ruin, and placement in nursing facilities.
World populations are becoming older, yet abuse and mistreatment of the elderly (in frequently silent forms) is also on the rise, with serious consequences for their quality of life in many countries. It is necessary to recognize different types of abuse and ill-treatment of the elderly, as well as the factors that contribute to these abuses.
Elder abuse is also a significant public health concern. Survivors report greater rates of depression than the general population. They frequently retreat from social engagements, and many of them place responsibility on themselves, which leads to feelings of guilt and silence, which only serves to amplify the negative consequences.
Age-related neglect and abuse is a serious social, health, and economic concern. Physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation are all experienced by around 10% of persons aged 60 and older, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
According to the National Council on Aging, elders are more likely to self-report financial exploitation than they are to self-report emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect, according to the NCOA. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, psychological abuse is the most frequent kind of elder abuse.
What Are the Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse?The majority of physical wounds heal over time.Elder abuse, on the other hand, can result in premature mortality, injury to physical and psychological health, destruction of social and familial relationships, and terrible financial loss, among other things.Any form of mistreatment can leave the abused person feeling afraid and unhappy for an extended period of time.
Often, the older person would refuse to seek help because he or she is depressed, sad, or suffering from a medical condition. Self-neglect is a symptom of despair, bereavement, dementia, or another medical condition. They may be in denial, embarrassed by the fact that they require assistance, or concerned about losing their independence.
Physical abuse is, by far, the most evident type of maltreatment. Women are reported to be one in every four victims of this type of abuse, which is strongly denounced by practically everyone in the world. The most prevalent types of abuse are striking, tossing, and scorching; suffocation is also included on the list of typical kinds of abuse.
Additional types of physical abuse include the inappropriate use of medications and physical restraints, the force-feeding of children, and any form of physical punishment. Bruises, black eyes, welts, lacerations, and rope marks are some of the signs and symptoms of physical abuse, but there are many others as well.
Individual-level factors (as determined by a reliable third party) include mental illness, antagonism, alcohol misuse, and childhood exposure to violence or aggressiveness.Characteristics of the connection: shared living quarters, relationship with the victim (spouse or child).Power and Exchange Dynamics are two important concepts in economics.Reliance on an abuser, victim dependency, and caregiver stress
Homebound elderly, women, people over the age of 80, and those who reside in remote areas are the people who are most at danger of being abused.
Women over the age of 50 are more likely than males to become victims, and one reason for this is because women live longer lives than men. Additionally, having a familial history of violence renders older women more vulnerable to abuse, particularly physical and sexual abuse, than younger women (Acierno et al., 2010).
Results: According to elder victims themselves, the most common reasons of abuse were reciprocal reliance between the victim and the perpetrator, power and control asymmetries, loneliness, and a marginalized social status of older people.
Alcoholism, mental disease, a history of violence or hostility, a dependency on the victim, and stress are all factors to consider. Social isolation, chronic disease or functional constraint, cognitive impairment, and housing circumstances in close proximity to the abuser are also factors to consider.
Elder abuse occurs most frequently in the home where the elder resides, rather than at a facility. It can also occur in institutional settings, such as long-term care homes, but is less common. In the United States, it is believed that more than one in ten older persons suffers from some sort of abuse.