Analysis of Elder Abuse Statutes Across the United States.

Analysis of Elder Abuse Statutes in the United States, 2011-2012 This article will describe the elder abuse statutes of the United States and Washington DC in 2011-2012. In 2001, the elder abuse statutes were last reviewed. A reexamination of these statutes is necessary due to the increasing awareness at both the national and state levels of elder abuse and the increase in older Americans in the United States. This descriptive study examined the following elements of elder abuse statutes: definitions and reporting requirements, training, consequences for failing to report, and penalties. There are still differences in the way states address elder abuse at the local level. This study was designed to examine elder abuse and its associated factors in community-dwelling seniors in Kerman, Iran. This descriptive cross-sectional study included 200 elderly Kerman residents. Multi-stage sampling was used. 51.4% of elderly people reported abuse. 17.5% of the elderly reported abuse. 20.9% reported verbal and 26.4% reported physical abuse. 11.5% also reported self-neglect, while 6.5% were neglected or ignored by others. 11.4% of elderly people reported being abandoned and 14.9%, financial abuse. The relationship between economic stress (P =.01) and neglect was significant. However, the risk of abuse in the elderly with very good health was approximately 50% lower than in other groups (P.001). There are many types of abuse that elders can experience. To avoid this problem, it is important to have a good understanding of elder abuse, particularly emotional abuse, and the related factors including economic stress and health. Internationally, social work and health professionals are becoming more aware of the need to respond to older abusers. While policy and guidance have identified the processes, definitions of key concepts are still problematic. The literature also suggests that agencies and practitioners lack insight and guidance to help them make informed decisions. Nine bibliographic databases were searched to find studies about professional decision-making in relation to the abuse of elderly people. The quality of the relevant studies that were retrieved was assessed using specific criteria. The structured narrative approach was used to synthesize the findings from the 19 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The common themes were abuse factors, contextual factors, and wider contextual factors. The key indicators of vulnerability and risk were abuse factors that relate to client vulnerability and risk levels. In deciding how to respond to allegations or suspected abuse, adult protection workers had to consider the effectiveness of their intervention. The complex ethical dilemmas that elder abuse can create for professionals were difficult to overcome, especially when the victim didn't want an investigation. It was hard to make objective judgments when confronted with complex contextual and family factors. The structured narrative synthesis of diverse studies, retrieved via explicit search and inclusion processes, provided useful information and highlighted gaps in the literature.

 This study compares elder abuse rates in three settings: assisted living, nursing home paid home care, and home-based care. These results were based on a random-digit-dial survey of relatives or people responsible for long-term care. While nursing homes have the highest abuse rates, paid home care is more likely to experience verbal abuse, and assisted living suffers from neglect. Even after adjusting for any health issues, the care setting plays a major role in both neglect and caretaking. The likelihood of neglect is more than three times higher when paid home care is switched to nursing homes. Nursing homes are no longer the most abusive when compared to care settings for people with specific health conditions. A Michigan Survey reveals the effects of care setting on elder abuse:  Results The authors thank the referees who provided valuable feedback that helped improve this manuscript. The authors would also like to thank Amy Burhop, Emily Walainis, and their exceptional editorial assistance. This research was funded by an 11-P-93042/5 grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Elder Abuse: The Canadian Experience All Canadian communities are affected by the abuse and neglect of seniors. Solutions require coordinated efforts from the entire society. It is more than just a legislative approach that can be used to improve the lives of older adults. This growing problem can be prevented by collaboration and networking between all disciplines within the community. This article will examine elder abuse in Canada from both a historical perspective and current legislation, models programs, research initiatives, and model programs. This article is meant to be compared with the other countries in this volume. We hope readers find models and ideas that they can use or replicate in their own countries.

Sources:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01634372.2014.884514

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24811323/