Question

Elder Mistreatment" present your views, ideas or experience about this topic.

Answer 1

" If a family has an old person in it, it possess a jewel".

- Chinese Proverb

" Gray hair is a crown of splendour; it is attained in the way of righteousness ."

- Proverbs 16:31

The term mistreatment includes physical abuse and neglect, psychological abuse, financial exploitation and violation of rights. Elder mistreatment is a widespread problem in our community which is often not recognized easily. It gained the first attention when term "Granny battering" first appeared in British medical journal. Since then, elder mistreatment became a matter of concern not only in United States but also in the whole world. The diagnosis of elder mistreatment depands on receiving accurate history from the elder and their caregivers. The risk factors that make elders more vulnerable to mistreatment are poor health, physical or cognitive impairement, alcohol abuse and history of domestic violence.

There are various types of mistreatment among elders. They are:

• Physical abuse: act of causing physical injury or harm or an act which may lead to impairement or illness like punching, kicking.
• Physical neglect : failure of the caregiver or the elder himself in providing adequate sevices or goods needed for optimal function.
• Psychological abuse: Conduct or behavior which may effect the elder mentally like use of verbal harassment.
• Financial exploitation: Misuse of elders possessions or assets by another person .
• Violation of rights: acts which may lead to deprivation of elder's right like making decisions for the elder withoutb his consent.

In many circumstances, these mistreatment is often missed or is not reported by the physicians even if identified. This may occur due to following reasons:

• Lack of adequate knowledge regarding the elder mistreatment and recognizing mistreatment.
• Request of the offender, not to report the mistreatment.
• Reluctance to report the mistreatment that is only a suspection.
• One's own attitude not to get indulge in others problems.
• fear of jeopardizing one's relationship with hospital and nursing facility.

The elder may be mistreated either in the health care settings or at his own home. It is often very difficult to recognise the mistreatment. The signs of mistreatment are often recognized at the patient's rountine visit to the doctor. The patient should be interviewed in the absence of the caregiver. Cognitive impairement will make this task of history taking to be difficult. Moreover some elder may not cooperate due to the fear of retailation by the abuser. The physical assessment is often used as a legal evidence of the mistreatment. Diagnostic or laboratory test may be required to confirm the suspicious findings of history taken and physical examination. All these findings has to be documented completely, thoroughly and should be legible.

The management of elder mistreatment requires discussion with patient if can be done. Local and state have various methods of addressing mistreatment. A multidisciplinary approach of the health care team can help in problem solving. The senior advocate can also help to access the resources from community programs and social services. Government has enacted various laws against elder mistreatment and to protect the rights of the elders. All the suspected elder mistreatment cases should be reported by the health care personnels. Law also offers protection for the reporters. The mistreatment report can be submitted to any country or state division of adult protection services. In case of urgent situation, contacting police is always an option.