|
Elder abuse is increasing ever more today.
Mostly in the United States, people are consumed with every day life
and busy. The world is becoming more self-centered and sees
older people as a hindrance in their lives. When Hurricane
Katrina was on the rise, many elders were left in their homes,
nursing homes and even some took it upon themselves to murder
elderly individuals they felt maybe would not have survived the
hurricane. There is danger when one takes one life becoming a
little god, when there is only one God of heaven and
earth.
There was a bill that was introduce to legislation by
Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), on November 16, 2005, aimed for the
protection of neglect and exploitation of elders. The bill is
called the Elder Justice Act 2006. (Washington, DC: U.S. Government
Printing Office. (2006). National Center on Eder Abuse.
Retrieved 11/6/2006 from http://www.ncea.aoa.gov).
There is great complexity of the definition of elder abuse.
It's greatest component is defined by the age of the victim.
The age definition varies from state to state based on available
services to the victims. (Loseke, Gelles and Cavanaugh,
2005)
There has been much research and sampling in the area
of elder abuse. Most findings and surverys depicted elderly
parents or individuals abused by their adult children whom are
caring for them. The other population identified in elder
abuse is by the elderl spouse or adult children who are physically,
mentally or emotionally disabled and are dpendent on the elder.
(Loseke, Gelles and Cavanaugh, 2005)
In the Bristowe and collins (1989)
study, four categories of maltreatment were identified. They
are passive neglect, active neglect, verbal abuse, and physical
abuse.
|
