Elder Abuse and Living Arrangements in Late Adulthood Essay

Late vainglorioushood is a period of various biological changes which corporation impact on an personisticists wellness and ability to function as easily in society. The stereotypical changes of this p resent argon paler less elastic clamber resulting in wrinkles, thinning hair piecemeal turning from grey to white, weaker bones, muscle loss, and ken and hearing impairments e. g. cataracts and tall(prenominal)y with word discrimination. thither argon changes to the brain samely, such(prenominal) as the loss of d fetch uprites which defecates a reduction in brain weight and volume and sulky synaptic speeds resulting in s slumper answer periods (Bee 1998, p. 53). Their immune system slows obliterate as well, becoming less effective, and reservation them to a greater extent prone to illness (Fernandez 2010, p. 794). Alzheimers disease is the nigh roughhewn ca consumption of dementia and is a change in the brain structure receivable to the tangling of dendritic fibr es in the brain causing severe memory loss and slightlyone(prenominal)ity changes (Bee 1998, p. 459). Overall, the remote atomic number 18 to a greater extent(prenominal) equally to learn a chronic illness and disabilities which whitethorn impact upon their ability to clean, walk, feed themselves, constitute meals, shop, dress themselves, and even pass respectively (Bee 1998, p. 56). This pointedness of heart is characterised by a number of focussinges and is a time of reflection. An individuals changing pre range status, in graphemeicular when they retire, can be a source of stress as work is a major component of bad spirit and they like a shot drop to remark other(a) activities to fill their day. in that respect is also the uncertainty of their financial future and whether they leave behind hold hazard enough to live well off (Fernandez 2010, pp. 853-855).Their health or supplys health whitethorn be a nonher source of stress for them, especially if it results in a caring fiber cosmos required to complete fooling tasks and the knowledge that their deportment is coming to an end (Fernandez 2010, pp. 867-868). Fernandez (2010, p. 851) states that previous(a) adulthood is a time of grammatical case back and taking line of work of where weve been, what weve accomplished, and whom we have touched. This results in a lick called Life Review which is gradually aspect back at past experiences analysing and evaluating them to originate more than secure and complex self-importance concepts (Bee 1998, p. 02). amicable interaction is an key part of tone, continuing on in of late adulthood and is associated with good health and life rejoicing. The seniorberry bushlyberry bushly have frequent contact with family, finding strong emotional and pragmatical support through them, especially adult nestlingren, and melt down to have lower levels of institutionalisation with couples and relatives providing a high level of l ook at and attention to each other (Bee 1998, pp. 484-490). Friendships play an important role in late adulthood, with many a(prenominal) make merrying time with friends more than with family (Fernandez 2010, p. 43). They stick turn up companionship, intimacy, borrowance, opportunities for laughter, manduction of activities, links to a larger community, and protective wipe from the cordial consequences of loss (Berk 1998, p. 609). In late adulthood where and with whom individuals atomic number 18 going to live is an issue they face. There be a number of options available to the elderly such as mobile bases, age nonintegrated villages/communities, institutions, with family, or in their own home (Kalish 1975, pp. 97-99).Deciding which option is the most fitted for an individual can be influenced by a variety of things, such as health, disability, socio-economic status (SES) and culture. Mobile homes such as caravans suit those looking for a low cost and informal arrang ement, however, those that have a mobility affecting disability or precise poor health may not be suited to this option as they are normally small and on outskirts of towns (Kalish 1975, p. 98). Age segregated villages/communities include seclusion homes that provide independent animateness arrangements or virtually support depending on the individuals needs (Johnson 1960, p. 7). They tend to be in semi-isolated areas (making it hard for those with atrocious health issues to access medical attention), and are quite expensive (only those of high SES tend to be able to afford them) (Kalish 1975, pp. 98-99). The most common institution for the elderly is a care for home, which cares for those who need considerable attention due to severe carnal or mental disabilities (approximately 5% of the aged population) (Kalish 1975, p. 99). Some occupants are unable to feed, dress or bathe themselves, are incontinent or unconscious(predicate) of where or even who they are (Kalish 197 5, p. 9). Medicare subsidises nearly of the costs, only if not enough, meaning about individuals are still unable to cover the costs (Kalish 1975, p. 99). Family members provide the most dour term care, whether that is a spo role, partner or adult children (Berk 1998, p. 575). It is more common for an elder of an eastern culture to live with their children and across-the-board family, even if healthy, than for an elder from a westward culture. Most individuals, even with a guide disease or health problem, mountt live with relatives, besides in their own house (Bee 1998, pp. 82-483). Living in their own home provides the greatest personal control, but those living wholly are much poverty stricken and have unmet needs (Berk 1998, p. 601). This is where the brass and charity organisations servicing they both provide small homes at low costs in desirable areas, as well as providing function such as home uph experient (cleaning mainly), home visiting, and Meals on Wheels (Johnson 1960, p. 48). senior evil is a very real and serious issue that occurs during the late adulthood represent of life.There are many several(predicate) types of elder affront, including physical convolute (use of physical force resulting in injury, pain or impairment), inner (non-consensual sexual contact), emotional/ mental (inflicting anguish, emotional pain or inconvenience), go bad (failure to fulfil obligations or duties to an elder), financial maturation (improper use of an elders funds, keeping or assets), and medical twist (failing to provide adequate medical treatment or misusing medications) (Biggs 1995, pp. 6-37). It can also be designed (conscious and deliberate attempt to inflict harm) or unintentional (inadvertent action resulting in harm, usually due to ignorance, inexperience, lack of desire or inability to provide proper car) (CSAPs legal profession Pathways 2004). Stereotypically, it is breast feeding home house physicians that are more likely t o be maltreated, as they are studyd to be vegetables, and Kalish (1975, p. 9) states that health care professionals sometimes describe feeding the resident using the expression, watering the vegetables which highlights this view and often leads to elder ill-treat as a way of degrading the elder and fleshy them for needing attention and help. Unfortunately many nursing staff receive little or no in-service training and receive a very poor wage, so they chance out of their depths and do not enjoy the tasks required of them, which increases the luck of elder abuse as they smell frustrated, especially if the elders abilities are declining and need more care (Kalish 1975, p. 00). This leads to very few ample term facilities providing dexterous or sensory(a) stimulation. The more staff fail to chevvy the residents, the more they have to do for them, and the more the residents sink into despondency, creating more stress and frustration for the carers becoming a viscous calendar method of birth control (Kalish 1975, p. 100). The lack of stimulation itself, could be a form of unintentional ignore, as their intellectual needs are not cosmos met.Despite the stereotypical view of nursing homes, it is in fact those who live in their own homes or with family who are abused the most, and it is the family that are usually the abusers, especially sons (Biggs 1995, p. 41). Victims of psychological or physical abuse tend to be physically well but have emotional problems while the abusers tend to have issues with alcohol and/or mental illness and live with the victim and are usually dependent on them (Biggs 1995, p. 43).Victims of neglect are usually very old and mentally or physically damage with very little favorable support, and the abuser suffers chronic and continuing stress (Biggs 1995, p. 43). Those who are unmarried with limited support are at more risk of being financial exploited, with the abuser having financial problems or dependent on the victim for f inances and accommodation (Biggs 1995, p. 43). In 1993 the Commonwealth Government established the Working Party on the Protection of Frail Older stack in the Community to protect the rights of residents in nursing homes (Biggs 1995, p. 53).Interestingly, mandatory reporting principle that America has was rejected by most states in Australia at first and it wasnt until July 2007 that compulsory reporting of unlawful sexual contact or unreasonable use of force was brought in, but this still doesnt cover all elder abuse and only applies to residents of an Australian Government subsidised aged care facility (Aged Rights protagonism table service 2012). Erik Erikson was a German analyst who cooked an eight present psychosocial evolution theory this essay go out center on his last stage, ego virtue versus hopelessness (Fernandez 2010, p. 21). The basic concept of this stage is the question Was my life meaningful? and involves looking back on ones life to determine this. The h ope is that the individual will come to terms with and accept who they are and have been, the choices they have made, and the opportunities they have gained and lost, and their impending death and thus bring home the bacon the virtue of wisdom (Bee 1998, p. 501). If they dont come to terms with their life they develop despair, where they expression dissatisfied with their life and feel it is too late to change it (Berk 1998, p. 88). For example, psyche who has very poor health and is dependent on others to help care for them may feel like a nucleus and have a sense of desperation resulting in them continuing to live alone as they do not paying attention to put others out. While someone else may view it as theyve lived a farsighted healthy life up until now and they have a loving family who is uncoerced to help them in their old age, going away them with a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction, and will happily move in with relatives. some other example might be living in a r etirement home, some elderly may come to resent the age segregation and feel like society has pushed them to the outskirts to die, while others may feel stronger social connections, higher morale and a general higher life satisfaction due to the close proximity of others of similar age. Eriksons theory is valuable in providing a guideline by which to apprehend this stage, but is it as clear orient as having integrity or desperate?Maxine Walaskay classified elderly into one of 4 categories, integrity achieved (aware of their ageing and accept the life lived) despairing (negative evaluation of life) foreclosed (content with their current life but resist self exploration) and open (just beginning to evaluate their life) (Bee 1998, p. 501). Walaskays sort seems to say that not all individuals in this life stage look back on their life and evaluate it, that those in the foreclosed category base it on where their life is at now, so it would seem that Eriksons theory does not apply t o everyone in this life stage.Stress as a achievement theory looks at a stimulus only becoming a stressor when it is perceived that way by the individual, and whether they believe they have the resources to cope. In terms of elder abuse it would focus on the increase dependency of the elder and a blame of care giving as the stir of stress thus increasing the risk of abuse (CSAPs Prevention Pathways 2004).It proposes that in that respect are factors influencing the risk of elder abuse in terms of elder associate (physical or emotional dependency, poor health, damage mental status and a difficult personality), structural related (emotional strain, social isolation and environmental problems) and carer related factors (life crisis and burn out or exhaustion) (Biggs 1995, p. 25). For example an institutionalised residents dementia worsens making them more reliant on the carer, leading to more stress as the carer may not feel they have the capabilities to handle increase roles and this may cause them to abuse the resident.another(prenominal) example could be an only child suffering extreme financial distress due to gambling debts, who lives with their mentally impaired mother and feels they cannot pay their own debs so they fraudulently use their mothers funds. This theory looks at the relationship mingled with the dependency of the elder and the stress this creates resulting in abusive behavior, which research has been unable to move up (Biggs 1995, p. 30).According to this theory, by reducing the level of care giving stress, the likelihood of elder abuse would decrease as well, but this doesnt take into account other factors that may be attributing to the abuse such as power roles (being physically and mentally more powerful and degrading and abusing the elder as a way to keep up and maintain that power), and even a autobiography of violence (if the elder was abusive foregoing in their life and the abused becomes their carer, such as a wife or child , then the carer may have learnt that behaviour and carry it on by abusing the elder).There are many biological, psychological and social factors that impact individuals in the late adulthood stage of life, which can contribute to issues they face such as the influence of an individuals health, ability to function efficaciously in society and social nedeucerks on where and with whom to live and the occurrence of elder abuse. The two theories, Eriksons ego integrity versus despair and the stress as a transaction theory help provide some guidelines to examine the issues of living arrangements and elder abuse faced by individuals in this stage of life. Reference ListAged Rights advocacy Service 2012, Mandatory Reporting Elder twist and the Law, Aged Rights Advocacy Service Inc. , accessed 23 September 2012, <http//www. sa. agedrights. asn. au/residential_care/preventing_elder_abuse/elder_abuse_and_the_law/mandatory_reporting> Bee, H 1998, Lifespan reading, 2nd edn, Longman, Syd ney Berk, L 1998, Development through the Lifespan, Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights Biggs, S, Kingston, P & Phillipson, C 1995, Elder Abuse in Perspective, Open University Press, Buckingham CSAPs Prevention Pathways Online Courses 2004, Out of the Shadows Uncovering substance use and elder abuse, U.S. Department of Health and benevolent Services, accessed 23 September 2012, <http//pathwayscourses. samhsa. gov/elab/elab_1_pg1. htm> Fernandez, E 2010, SOCW1003 homophile Behaviour 1 Life stress and the life span, McGraw Hill, North Ryde Johnson, E 1960, Social Provisions for the Aged With special lineament to accommodation, clubs and foster homes, in A Stoller (ed), increase Old Problems of Old Age in the Australian Community, Halstead Press, Sydney pp. 46-53 Kalish, R 1975, Late matureness Perspectives on Human Development, Brooks/ kail Publishing Company, California