Elder Abuse (CASE) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Elder Abuse (CASE) - Essay Example Elder abuse is a serious health as well as social problem and a major cause of death and injuries. According to NCEA statistics, those experiencing abuse have a 300% higher risk of death. The aim of this paper is to discuss the characteristics of abusers and victims, the types of abuse and how one at risk can seek help by looking at the case of Ms. Sanders. Ms. Sanders is 72 years old and with a declining health status hence at risk of elder abuse. Although her son Simon has taken over the responsibility of taking care of her, this does not prevent the abuse as research shows that most abuse is perpetrated by family members and to make matters worse, he abuses prescription medications. There are various types of elder abuse according to APA (2014) and (NCEA 2014) : physical; verbal, emotional or psychological; sexual; financial or exploitation and neglect. Physical abuse occurs through hitting, kicking, shoving, physical restraints and other methods that cause injury to the victim. Warning signs include: bruises, burns, broken bones, and repeated unexplained injury. Verbal, emotional or psychological abuse involves name calling, threats, intimidation, and disrespectful comments that cause fear or emotional distress to the victim. Warning signs of this abuse include: unusual depression, uncommunicative, unreasonably suspicious or unexpl ained changes in behaviour. Sexual abuse involves inappropriate tuouching, sexual contact or rape and can be recognized if the victim has bruises on breasts or genital areas or unexplained vaginal bleeding. Financial abuse is in the form of fraud, forgery, identity theft, home improvement scams and predatory lending (California Department of Justice, 2014). For such elders, their life circumstances do not match their financial assets, there are unusual bank activities like ATM withdrawals. Neglect may not be intentional