Elder Abuse Sociology
Elder Abuse: Society 's Dirty Little Secret
Patricia James
Western Governors University
Abstract
Any elderly person is at risk of being abused by family members, caregivers or strangers. The abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional or psychological. Abuse can be categorized as neglect, abandonment, financial or material exploitation, or it may even involve self-neglect. Abuse of our elders is usually at the hands of a loving family or a trusted caregiver which makes this society’s dirty little secret.
Elder Abuse: Society 's Dirty Little Secret
Society should be concerned about the abuse of our elderly people. That segment of population is getting larger as the baby-boomers …show more content…
The ill-treatment comes in a myriad of ways: infliction of pain (physical or psychological), injury, theft, money or medication mismanagement, denial of food or care, sexual abuse, exploitation and confinement.
What perpetuates elder abuse by relatives is a mixture of financial, psychological, physical and social factors. The functionalistic perspective of sociology examines how society shares a value system in which members know what is expected from each other (Tischler, 2007, p. 19). The expectations of an elderly person by a family member may be unrealistic leading to intentional or unintentional abuse. The elder’s health may have deteriorated in a short period of time, causing the family more work and increased expenses, resulting in a change in the family dynamic from harmonious to dysfunctional.
Elder abuse points to several specific risk factors such as the primary family caregiver being male, or having a history of mental health or substance abuse issues. A financial strain on the family causing increased need of the elder’s money can lead to cruelty. Elder abuse can be found in the history of intergenerational family violence in which behaviors are learned and passed from generation to generation (Robinson, Saisan, & Segal, …show more content…
Caring for a loved one day in and day out can be exhausting. When the older family member comes to live with a relative, they may require minimal care, but as the years pass chronic illnesses worsen. The senior may start to be incontinent necessitating numerous changes of clothes and bedding. While there are products to help with incontinence, e.g., adult diapers, leaving them on too long can result in excoriated skin or ulcers. The family then reduces the elder’s fluid intake so he or she won’t void frequently causing symptoms of dehydration. As dehydration sets in, the elder, already in a fragile state, becomes confused and weak, leading to falls, kidney failure or death. This scenario can be avoided if society becomes more in tune to the signs of abuse and not mistakenly identify these changes as due to the person’s age or declining
Patricia James
Western Governors University
Abstract
Any elderly person is at risk of being abused by family members, caregivers or strangers. The abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional or psychological. Abuse can be categorized as neglect, abandonment, financial or material exploitation, or it may even involve self-neglect. Abuse of our elders is usually at the hands of a loving family or a trusted caregiver which makes this society’s dirty little secret.
Elder Abuse: Society 's Dirty Little Secret
Society should be concerned about the abuse of our elderly people. That segment of population is getting larger as the baby-boomers …show more content…
The ill-treatment comes in a myriad of ways: infliction of pain (physical or psychological), injury, theft, money or medication mismanagement, denial of food or care, sexual abuse, exploitation and confinement.
What perpetuates elder abuse by relatives is a mixture of financial, psychological, physical and social factors. The functionalistic perspective of sociology examines how society shares a value system in which members know what is expected from each other (Tischler, 2007, p. 19). The expectations of an elderly person by a family member may be unrealistic leading to intentional or unintentional abuse. The elder’s health may have deteriorated in a short period of time, causing the family more work and increased expenses, resulting in a change in the family dynamic from harmonious to dysfunctional.
Elder abuse points to several specific risk factors such as the primary family caregiver being male, or having a history of mental health or substance abuse issues. A financial strain on the family causing increased need of the elder’s money can lead to cruelty. Elder abuse can be found in the history of intergenerational family violence in which behaviors are learned and passed from generation to generation (Robinson, Saisan, & Segal, …show more content…
Caring for a loved one day in and day out can be exhausting. When the older family member comes to live with a relative, they may require minimal care, but as the years pass chronic illnesses worsen. The senior may start to be incontinent necessitating numerous changes of clothes and bedding. While there are products to help with incontinence, e.g., adult diapers, leaving them on too long can result in excoriated skin or ulcers. The family then reduces the elder’s fluid intake so he or she won’t void frequently causing symptoms of dehydration. As dehydration sets in, the elder, already in a fragile state, becomes confused and weak, leading to falls, kidney failure or death. This scenario can be avoided if society becomes more in tune to the signs of abuse and not mistakenly identify these changes as due to the person’s age or declining