Aging_in_America

This article summarizes elderly abuse in China inflicted by family members, who ultimately become caregivers of their parents. The purpose of this article is to make the public aware of the physical, emotionally and psychological abuse that frail elders experience after retirement in China. The author educates the reader’s on cultural differences in China, abuse patterns, statistics of abuse patterns and the outcome of the abuse. Most of the material we have discussed in class can be implemented in this article. Every level of Maslow’s Hierarchy, role reversal, identity roles, taboo, major clinical depression, isolation, suicide, physical congruence, dysthymic disorder, and dependency behaviors are all a part of this article. China is based on the term “Generation vs. Self Absorption.” they generally are wrapped up in the cultural aspect of teaching the “meaning” of their tradition and culture to the young. They hope that their younger generations will carry on these sacred traditions. As I read further into the article I realized this was all a cover up to what really happens to the treasured elders at the hands of their own children, is nothing short of psychological, emotional and physical abuse. Culturally, on a macro level, China passes down traditions. China has a sense of preserving their name, and honor as a country. Because of the cultural “emphasis” on the preservation of family harmony and honor, elderly abuse remains taboo. No one talks about the abuse. When a person does find out about the abuse, the family is angered and feels that the public should stay out of their business. According to Chinese tradition, having an elderly in the family is like having a “treasure.” Due to the rapid growth of the elderly population, this sense of tradition is making a rapid change. The “treasure” of elders has been replaced with “burden.” Culturally in China, “parents are expected to take good care of their children and in return, adult offspring are expected to be responsible for their parent’s well being as they grow older.” This is not always the case in China. The adult offspring take in their parents, but this becomes an abusive relationship. Most of the abuse is inflicted by male caretakers. There has been a change in population in China. Since couples are only permitted to have one child, this one child ends up with two parents to take care of. Most of the time this is a male caregiver and if marries, he also have the burden of taking care of his wife’s parents. The stress of taking in an aging adult is very difficult for the adult offspring. These caregivers feel obligated to take care of their parents, often experiencing role reversal. Not only do the caregivers have to take care of their home, job, spouse and child, but they now have the responsibility of taking care of their parents. Psychological on every level, this can cause mental disturbances in the care giver and they retaliate with abuse. Most of the abuse is due to the elders biologically losing sensation and perception. The elders having poor eyesight, poor hearing and loss of memory as well as; old age, chronic illness, financial burdens and dependency on their children. The vast majority of these relationships are intergenerational; in these instances, they are parents and adult children. Many of the elders are moved out of their home and moved across town to live with their offspring. This causes instability in psychological congruence as well as social congruence. If they experience negative feedback from the caregivers, they will lose their identity and become a “shell” adapting to their new environment. Maybe they will come to resent their new home and their caregivers and have to deal with the guilt and shame of not being thankful, even though they are being abused. Psychological the elders have attachments to their past. Living in their home their whole life with their independence and the being uprooted to a new environment can cause emotional stress. Not being able to have the same social life and environment can turn these elders into introverts. Even if these elders were not being abused, moving and leaving your identity behind, can cause major psychological problems. The Ecological Theory of Aging is how a person operates in any given situation. Due to the loss of their identity and possessions, this can cause them to become depressed. Most of these elders are neglected emotionally. On the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, love and belonging is a need. If this need is left unmet, the elder would not feel safe and secure and this will cause psychological problems. They will also experience a low self esteem and lack of respect to others and their selves. The level of esteem in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs would play an important role in the mental state of the elders. I feel if they are not adequately taken care of, and they are disrespected and neglected this would cause their self esteem to go way down. They would feel like they were nothing. They may even reflect back over their life like Ego Integrity vs. Despair and wonder if they did something wrong while they were raising their child. They may feel guilty about a punishment they themselves inflicted upon the child. Maybe they cannot come to grips with the integrity part, due to the fact that they wish they could go back and change what happened in the past. Realizing it too late may cause great despair and depression. Elderly women are more likely to become depressed than men. Socially they have been raised in a culture where men achieve a higher social status. Men are considered to be the breadwinners, ranking higher in prestige and honor. Women typically manage the home. Their sense of worth from the beginning is diminished. I feel that Lawton’s Docility Hypothesis fits here. Women have lower capabilities than men. They would certainly be more vulnerable to the environment of abuse and neglect than men. These elders without their own willingness gain dependency behaviors. Most of them are debilitated either physically or financially. Many of them cannot get around to help themselves, or take care of the home in which they are staying. They are trapped in the house with no real outside connection until their caregivers come home. They do not drive and some are bed ridden. They wait all day for social interaction with their caregivers. Socially to many of the elders who portrayed an extrovert character, this can prove to be very difficult to adapt to. Identity accommodation would play an important role in these situations. If the elders lost their true sense of identity, they would have to conform to a new identity to fit the environment in which they are living. Some may be socially isolated all day and realize this is their life now. Even though what happens to them may not be idealistic to them, they alter their identity to exist. Autonomy is an important part of aging. These elders are placed in the homes with their children due to culture. Knowing they are not accepted in their new environment and then experiencing the wrath of abuse from your children cause serious depression. Some of the elders become clinically depressed and acquire dysthymic disorder. A lot of the time this leads to suicide. Good adaption can occur when there is a good fit between physical and psychological needs. If these needs are not meant, and the elder feels a sense of betrayal and burden, suicide is the only way out. Not only does China have the highest rate of suicide in the elderly, but the means of suicide is violent. Most of the suicides are from ingesting corrosives, jumping from height, cutting, hanging, and drowning. Aging in place has no meaning in China. Being able to feel comfortable while you age, and to be able to be in a place that fits you, is not something they have conformed to. On a macro level, this would have to affect China entirely. Even the young generation, and the abusive caregivers have to know they will someday take the place of the elder. They will be left to fend for themselves at the hand of yet another abusive caregiver. The article did not say how the authors arrived at their findings. There were no interviews to any of the families researched in the article. I feel if the caregivers we properly trained or even had respite care to relieve them from time to time, the abuse would diminish. I think the author did a good job researching his information. There were a great deal of facts and statists in the article about abuse and patterns. As a society we have learned in the past that China honors their elder. This article was shocking to me to. To realize that the “norms” of society are not really what you expected all along. This article proves that no matter what culture you are raised in, stress has the same definition, and the same outcome.