Ageism_and_the_Elderly

Ageism and the Elderly Ageism and the Elderly (The Correlation between Ageism and Elder Abuse) Ashley July 17, 2010 University of Phoenix Axia College The fastest growing age group in the United States is the elderly. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, in 1980, there were 25.7 million older persons; by 1990 the amount of older Americans had reached 31.2 million. In 2000, 35 million of the United States population was over 65 years of age, and by 2030 the figure is expected to reach 71.5 million older Americans. “Demographically, the coming generation of elderly Americans- the baby boomers- were themselves the pioneers in the great changes that have transformed family life over the past several decades, and their ageing is one of the most anticipated demographic events of this century” (Population Reference Bureau, 2010). With the continued advancement in medicine Americans are living longer. And, it appears that “while the number of Americans without medical insurance is high, the number without any insurance against the cost of long term care is far greater (Population Reference Bureau, 2010).” Ageism is a social attitude. Ageism is also part of attitudes where people believe that older adults can be treated in demeaning ways. Ageism occur for many different reasons and even though older adults contributed to significant past and current contributions to family, community and the society as a whole society tend to have an economically focused perspective and the elderly is perceived as one that has outlived their usefulness to the economy. There are many examples of ageism. Policies and programs failing to allow older adults on boards and committees because they feel they wouldn’t understand is a common form of ageism. Doctors who refuse to see older patients because they take more time is a form of ageism. And, most common form of ageism is with Adult Children of Elderly Americans. The way adult children communicate with their parents is common as they tend to talk to them as if they are children instead of Aging Adults. There is a very strong connection between abuse and ageism. Elder abuse is a serious social problem. While the age group over 65 increases, the number of family members in the next generation is shrinking. The current population of childbearing age is having fewer children per capita than did parent in past decades. Thus with few siblings available to share the burden of care for dependent elderly parents, a greater strain will be place on sons and daughters in the family. The trouble of day to day care falls most often to family members who provide unpaid assistance. With the current recession it increases the stress and possibility of elderly American’s inability to financial care for themselves and in return placing the financial burden on their adult children. “Although the national Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) could declare that the current recession will end by the close of 2010, the impact on American families will continue through 2011 and may have long-lasting consequences for many. Mounting evidence indicates that the recession has erase decades of improvements in material well- being for the most vulnerable groups- children, the elderly, and the poor” (PRB: Recession on Older Americans, March 2010). The financial and psychological demands of caring for an older parent can with other factors, lead to abuse in the family. Abuse of the elderly has become and importance political and economic issue for states from both a service and legislative point of view (McCabe, 1989). Elder Abuse is not new in the United States, but it’s recognition as a major social problem is recent. Congress first heard the term “elder abuse” in the late 1970’s during a hearing on spousal abuse, which along with child abuse, was already well known to most Americans (Tatara, 1995). Between 500, 000 and 2.5 million elderly persons are victims of abuse and neglect each year. One study estimates that 84% of cases are not reported. The results of elder abuse are devastating and can include fractures, depression, dementia, malnutrition and ultimately death. The victim and perpetrators may ignore the seriousness of the problem. The victim is often over whelmed, embarrassed, or physically unable to ask for help. In addition, denial is common in victims, perpetrators, and even medical staff. Health professionals tend to minimize complaints or symptoms because of disbelief, fear of accusing the perpetrator, failure to recognize symptoms, or reluctance to deal with the issues. There are as many definitions of elder abuse as there are laws, programs and research practices (Tatar, 1995). Abuse does not mean physical abuse only. Abuse can include verbal abuse, emotional deprivation, financial exploitation, or general neglect. Section 102 of the older Americans Act (OAA) defines abuse as “the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or cruel punishment with resulting physical harm or pain or mental anguish, or mental illness.” Elder abuse like any other abusive situation can happen to any race, gender and at any socioeconomic standard. The victim of abuse typically is female, over 75, physically and/or mentally impaired and live with their abuser. They are generally unaware of the community resources available to them and fearful of the alternatives. Researchers have found that the elder abuser is a son or daughter caregiver, less than 60 years of age, who is living with or in close proximity to the elderly victim (Baumhover and Beall, 1996). The abuse is also likely to be under severe stress, suffer from alcoholism, and /or mental illness. No one is more the victim to the service delivery system than the elderly population. Elderly people often living alone, sustained by fixed incomes and often having physical impairments, access to services is crucial to their survival. “A well- implemented information and referral service makes older people aware of services and opportunities and provides information about the agencies and organization that provide these services; it provides information as to the regulations that govern what services are available to whom. In addition, an information and referral service is a mechanism that can provide direct contact with service providers for individuals who are unable to make such contacts on their own. Perhaps most importantly, an effective information and referral service makes a significant contribution toward maintaining older people in their communities (Holmes and Holmes, 1979). “Ageism can be reflected in social policy that assumes all families are willing, able and capable of providing care to aging parents, even though in reality, some of these relationships can be strained from the outset and can become abusive”(Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse). Imagine with me, Ms. Sue a 76- year-old woman. Sue lives with her daughter, Jackie. Jackie recently lost her job, so she is under a lot of stress and pressure. Currently, they are managing to pay the bills with Sue’s Social Security check. This financial bind has caused tension in the relationship between Sue and Jackie. Sue is upset and feels that Jackie isn’t trying to better their situation. Instead of looking for a job, Jackie has started to take money from Sue’s account without her approval. Jackie started taking out her frustrations on her mom by, cursing her, and most recently shoving her. This abusive situation has put a halt to weekly visits they use to have with close friends. Because of the shame of being found out that her daughter is abusing her, Sue doesn’t talk to her neighbors any more. Sue is reluctant to seek help or financial assistance because the fear of what might happen to her or her daughter. As time passed, Jackie continued to abuse her mom, which resulted in mom’s leg being broken. After getting rushed to the hospital, Sue reported to the doctor’s of the abuse who then reported it to Adult Protective Services (APS). “Disability in older Americans affects the entire population of the United States because of its impact on the level of health care spending, especially spending on long term care. Between 1982 and 2002, the prevalence of any disability amount the elderly decreased about 32 percent or an average of 1.4 percent per year. However, this improvement did not apply to all measures of disability or benefit all socioeconomic and demographic groups equally. People of lower socioeconomic statuses did not benefit as much from declining disability rates, and there were actually increases in disability for some groups” (PRB: Racial and socioeconomic Disparities in Old-Age Disability in the U.S. June 2010).For the frail and disabled elderly their needs to be a way for them to break out of isolation, that is frequently associated with disability. A multipurpose senior citizen center is a place in the community where older people come together in order to socialize, to learn new roles, and to maintain or develop their involvement with the community. The center helps the older persons adjust to changes in roles and to overcome the feelings of loneliness that tends to accompany old age. Many elderly persons prefer to stay in their homes. When elderly persons choose this, there tends to be burden on the family, because they feel that the elderly person needs to be supervised at all the time. Day care may be viewed as respite services, “which helps families to care for frail elderly persons without necessitating a 24- hours a day, seven days a week commitment. Thus, family members are able to go to work or engage in other activities knowing that the elderly member is well cared for and not lonely (Holmes and Homes, 1979).” All in all this lessen of burden of the caregiver reduces the incidence of abuse. Above are just a few of the resources that should be in the community to prevent elder abuse. On the down side, even these services cannot magically make the problems of elderly abuse go away and the use of Adult Protective Services is needed. According to the social work dictionary, “adult protective services (APS) is human services often including social, medical, legal, residential, and custodial care that may be provided for adults who are unable to provide such care for themselves or who do not have a significant other who might provide it. Such people often are incapable of acting judiciously on their own behalf and, thus, are vulnerable to being harmed by or to inflicting harm on others. In such situations, and typically after a legal decision has been made, the social agency or other care facility provides the relevant service until it is no longer deemed necessary. The 1975 title XX legislation mandates that APS be provided without regard to person’s financial or residency eligibility (Barker).” States do vary in their adult protective service statues, but still there is some common interest with them all. Clients of APS are described as abuse, neglected, exploited, and their living conditions are unsafe and unhealthy. In 1968 there were less than 20 communities with Adult protective services for the elderly. Today all states have statues in place dealing with the elderly. This grown of APS was motivated with funding and policy mandates in title III of the Older Americans Act and Title XX of the social security act. Adult Protective Services provide whatever services are appropriate or needed for the client. Whatever the case may be, “adult protective services programs will become more and more important as the number of older adults grows into the next century. According to the PRB , “Race, Ethnicity, and Where You Live Matters: Recent Finding on Health and Mortality of U.S. Elderly”, Americans who are 65 years old today can expect to live another 18.4 years on average, approximately four more years than 65-year-olds could have expected 50 years ago. The sheer growth population suggests Ageism will continue to be a social concern as well as Elderly abuse. References Barker, R. L. (1999). The Social Work Dictionary (4th ed.). Washington D.C. Cherlin, A., Griswold III, B. H., Folbre, N., Meyer, M. H., Haaga, J., J., L., & Meredith, D. l. (2010, July). Family Caring for an Aging Population. Retrieved July 19, 2010, from http://www.prb.org/Journalists/Webcasts/2010/healthcareandaging.aspx'p=1 Fustos, K. (2010, June). Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Old-Age Disability in the U.S.. Retrieved July 19, 2010, from http://www.prb.org/Articles/2010/oldagedisability.aspx'p=1 Holmes, M. B. (1979). Handbook of Human Resources for Older Persons. Community Research Applications Inc. New York City. Retrieved July 19, 2010 Kaneda, T., & Adams, D. (2008, February). Race, Ethnicity, and Where You Live Matters: Recent Findings on Health and Mortality of U.S. Elderly. Retrieved July 19, 2010, from http://www.prb.org/Articles/2008/racialdisparities.aspx'p=1 Massaad, N. (2009). The Impact of the Recession on Older Americans. Retrieved July 19, 2010, from http://www.prb.org/Articles/2010/recessionolderamericans.aspx'p=1 Tatara, T. (1995). Encyclopedia of Sowk (19th Ed.).