Essay Sample on Elderly Abuse: A Submission to the Royal Age Commission

Introduction

Over the last decade, the elderly have been subjected to emotional and physical abuse by society and government at large due to their high level of dependency (Lachs, & Pillemer, 2015). This submission letter to the royal age commission will emphasize on rights of the elderly and service delivery, a problem this submission seeks to address, and why it is essential to address it, solutions found to work with the problem discussed, and recommendation to the course of action for the commission.

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Rights of the Aged Persons

All human beings have rights that should be enjoyed regardless of their age, financial status, or race. Most aged people suffer from depression, which predisposed them to their early death. The following are the rights of aged people based on an approach to service delivery. Right to freedom from violence (Bows & Westmarland, 2015), their right from violation is being neglected by the society in which they reside. A number of them showed evidence of the violation done to them and how the society at large is neglecting them. Some of the cases brought forward are very touching, yet no action has been taken to prevent the ongoing injustice thus making the aged not to be at ease.

The older people have the right to social security. Cases of poor health among the aged should be looked into by the royal care commissions as there are alarming numbers that prove their health status is poor. They are also neglected in terms of appropriate security actions that should be taken to ensure their wellbeing. Additionally, aged persons have the right to freedom from discrimination (Wallace Nazroo & Becares, 2016). Because the aged persons are associated with high dependency, most individuals view them as a liability and look down upon them. As such, the elderly are a potential target of discrimination in society.

The Problem Addressed and Its Significance

As adults advance with age, they became more physically frail and are less able to take care of themselves or fight back if attacked. Diseases that come with advanced age, like physical and mental ailments, create a difficult situation for the neighboring residents. Neglect is to disregard or pay little attention to someone. It includes failure to provide food clothing, medication, water and assistance with personal hygiene daily activities. Approximately 2.1 million aged Americans are victims of neglect. It is vital to mention that elders who are neglected tend to die earlier than those who have adequate care in society.

Moreover, research has indicated that for every case of elder abuse reported, there are more than 4 cases that have not been reported concerning abuse of the elderly individuals (Gassoumis, Navarro & Wilber, 2015). When someone hears of elder neglect and abuse the first thing that rings in their heads are aged people at nursing homes. Most elderly neglect actually takes place at home. Most of these aged people stay with their relatives, spouses, or children. When cases or neglect usually occurs, the people they stay with are the primary abusers.

Some older adults cause harm to themselves through self-neglect. Physical or mental impairment can mean that the geriatrics can no longer be able to perform essential self-care. Such an undertaking could be through not visiting the doctor when sick, not eating, or using drugs and alcohol. Self-neglect shows signs of grief, dementia, medical problem or depression.

There are warning signs of elder neglect or self-neglect, and they include; desertion of aged people in the streets, aged people stinking due to lack of bathing, staying in unsanitary living conditions, presence of bedsores due to failure of turning the elderly who cannot be able to turn relatives, weight loss, malnutrition, parasite infestation lack of wheelchairs, evidence of loneliness in their eyes and engaging in destructive behavior. Neglected geriatrics can also be identified through the lack of dentures such as eyeglasses for those with eye problems, hearing aids, walkers, and braces. Due to their psychological states of mind, they may also experience nightmares.

Cases of mistreatment of the elder often occur under the radar of the people who see the result of the effects of neglect but cannot recognize the course. Elderly neglect is a medical issue that should be addressed as neglected geriatrics have a three times risk of mortality and morbidly as compared to their counterparts who are cared for appropriately. Despite the growing body of knowledge about geriatric negligence, it remains unreported by doctors due to the following claims; victim denial 23 %, uncertainty about laws and resources 10%, uncertainty about reporting procedure 21%. While other elderly fail to report cases of neglect due to fear of embarrassment from those neglecting them. It's essential to address this issue because with time, people age, and no one requires to be neglected at their old age. Instead, they often want their loved ones around them to take care of them and the society at large.

Solutions Found to Deal With Neglect

There are various ways of neglecting the elderly such as leaving them in the streets, being poorly clothed, fed, or personal problems among caretakers. However, understanding ways to ways of reducing geriatrics negligence will help stop negligence among the elderly. The following are some of the steps taken to prevent negligence among the elderly; One, Staying in touch with the elderly. Close family members should be involved in taking care of their elderly and be on the lookout for signs and symptoms that the elderly are being abused in one way or another. These concerns can result in depression among the aged and further increase the level of neglect among the elderly by society and family. Three, motivate the aged to attend community activities and religious functions as it will help them be updated on an ongoing issue that has been important throughout their lives as they have been growing.

The fourth solution includes ensuring that the older people should not be allowed to stay with caregivers who are abusive or violent or have history violence as these people are most likely to repeat their acts of action which will be a bad thing because the acts will be against the, most vulnerable people who cannot defend themselves. Another aspect includes ensuring QoL (Quality of life) of elderly individuals. This solution may be attained through physical exercises that are not strenuous like taking walks. Through exercise, their lifespan will be prolonged as some diseases that come due to physical inactivity will be kept at bay. The sixth potential resolution involves ensuring that the elderly individuals at any given nursing facility, should be involved in the process, make sure they are receiving the intended care they deserve and look for any signs that they are neglected. The seventh solution necessitates the caregiver to look for trustworthy people who will provide additional care to elderly individuals to avoid neglecting the elderly due to the many responsibilities they may have. The ith solution involves a requirement that the older people should be aware of their financial affairs and a close member of the family who is trustworthy should manage their funds and update the elderly on the ongoing process. Through being vigilant of the above mentioned the elderly will have peace of mind in their late-life and be thankful for the people around them

The Recommended Course of Action for the Commission

The experience of aged care is different depending on everyone. Some people's stories have been a pleasant experience, while others it has been overwhelming. The aged care system should not be a signifier for loss, fear, and abandonment but should be the other way round. Commissioners Richard Tracey AM, RFD, QC and Lynelle Brigg's investigation into Australia's aged care system led them to describe the aged care system as a shocking tale of neglecting. "The neglect that we have found in this royal commission to date is far from the best that can be done. Instead, it is a sad and shocking system that diminishes Australia's as a nation ". The commissioners explained problems that aged and their caregivers and families have been trying to get an aged care services, the dispiriting nature of residential care, service shortfalls, substandard care, unsafe practices and isolation of young people with disabilities.

The following are recommendations for the commission. The commission should provide more home care packages to reduce the waiting list for higher-level care at home by the caregivers and family members. The commission should also respond to the over-reliance on chemical restraint in aged care, including through the seventh community pharmacy agreement. These will be made life easier for the aged in addition to the provision of information about residential care. The information about the performance of facilities providing care to the aged particular number of complaints against the facility reported assaults, and employed staff is not accessible to the citizens. Another recommendation is equity in the provision of services. Moreover, most elderly residents receive treatment based on the amount of payment they can offer, and as such, other residents feel like a burden and another mouth to feed, whereas the experience should be pleasant to those receiving care. The commission should also stop the infusion of young people with disabilities into aged care, and for those who have already been in the aged care program, the process of getting them out should the fastened.

Reference

Lachs, M. S., & Pillemer, K. A. (2015). Elder abuse. New England Journal of Medicine, 373(20), 1947-1956.

Bows, H., & Westmarland, N. (2015). Rape of older people in the United Kingdom: Challenging the 'real-rape' stereotype. British Journal of Criminology, 57(1), 1-17.

Wallace, S., Nazroo, J., & Becares, L. (2016). The cumulative effect of racial discrimination on the mental health of ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom. American Journal of Public Health, 106(7), 1294-1300.

Gassoumis, Z. D., Navarro, A. E., & Wilber, K. H. (2015). Protecting victims of elder financial exploitation: The role of an elder abuse forensic center in referring victims for conservatorship. Aging & mental health, 19(9), 790-798.