The Issue of Elder Abuse and How to Solve It

My clinical experience is the reason I have such strong belief in the significance of my project. It would be difficult for anyone to discount that ending elder abuse is a worthy goal, but after seeing the results of abuse firsthand, the importance of ending abuse skyrocketed for me. I have seen the result of a geriatric women who was completely dependent on others for all of her activities of daily living (ADL’s) so severely beaten that her whole head was purple with strangulation bruises around her neck.

For weeks all she could do was lay in bed and whimper; I cried the first three times that I saw her. That is an extreme case, but it has made a lasting impact on me.

Another case I encountered was while working on a rehabilitation unit, we admitted a frail elder man with two broken legs. Upon thorough team assessment, it was discovered that his daughter had purposefully pushed him out of his wheelchair causing him to sustain these injuries; his plan after leaving our facility was to return home into her care.

This case is the perfect example of the type of situation my education plan addresses. Knowing that caregivers are the number one offenders of abuse, that their own lack of support and knowledge often leads to abuse, and recognizing the signs of abuse are necessary for safe interventions to take place. This man fit a profile of abuse prompting an investigation to be done, and a new safe discharge plan was prepared for him.

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If others have this knowledge regarding abuse, more cases like these can be stopped and even prevented. This goal of this project is educational communities on elder abuse. It is meant to outline types of abuse, those at risk for abuse, how to identify if abuse is occurring, and the proper interventions to implement when abuse is identified or suspected. It is also meant to identify common abusers, the signs of a perpetrator, reasons for perpetration, how to prevent this abuse, and what to do if you identify or suspect someone is abusing an elderly person. Education on this topic has been identifies through research as the first step to ending and preventing elder abuse.

It is a very meaningful project because it is designed to help end abuse in those 65 years and older and increase their safety and quality of life. Assessment of this teaching plans effectiveness can happen immediately by evaluating understanding by the pupils after presentation of the information. Assessment after six months can be evaluated by monitoring the amount and potentially the increase of reported abuse cases. These assessment tools would assist in keeping this project going. Undertaking the construction of this project was a challenging and rewarding assignment to accomplish.

The research I conducted lead to areas I had not been before, and have a greater understanding of information I was unknowingly ignorant to. Elder abuse is a topic I have been aware of for several years working in a long term care facility, but did know its many facets. My greater understanding of this issue has compelled me to empower the community with knowledge in hopes that their views and actions will be affected the same way that mine have.