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Some Health Care Workers May Not Know That What They Are Doing Is Abusive. ...


Some health care workers may not know that what they are doing is abusive. For example, a health care worker may think that taking an older adult to an activity is for the best, even when the person does not want to go. This is abuse because it takes away the older adult's right to choose how he or she wishes to spend the day.(Abuse of Older Adults in Institutions, 2005)
c. The Extent of Elder Abuse
While every society is prone to elder abuse, the phenomenon has emerged as a serious social issue and a problem that needs study, research and intervention, only in the last three decades, i.e, since the early eighties. Information available is scant and restricted to studies conducted in the USA, Canada, UK and Europe. Of late, some information has also emerged from Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. A World Health Organisation study, (discussed in detail later in this assignment), conducted in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, India, Kenya, Lebanon and Sweden provides some information on the prevalence of elder abuse in these countries. The lack of information and research is also due to the reticence of people, especially victims, to talk about the subject, and bring it out in the open, because of socio-economic constraints, the perceived shame that its revelation could bring upon family status and honour, and the fear of reprisals. Information obtained from various sources, all of which are available in the bibliography indicates elder abuse to be prevalent in large numbers in all societies taken up for study. A recent House of Commons study stated that the number of elders who have to cope with various forms of abuse is likely to be about half a million.
It estimates that as many as 500 000 elderly people in England are currently being abused by relatives, carers, or strangers. Although the public is more aware than ever of child abuse and the measures that have been introduced to try to protect children, abuse of elderly people remains overlooked, says the House of Commons Health Committee. "Our inquiry found that much abuse of older people is not reported because many older people are unable, frightened or embarrassed to report its presence," says the Committee's report. "Often carers take no action because they lack training in identifying abuse or are ignorant of the reporting procedure. The lack of reporting results in difficulties in determining the true scale of the problem and this is compounded by lack of research." (Kmietowicz, 2004)
While research studies suffer because of lack of substantial empirical data, the information available suggests surprisingly widespread prevalence of elder abuse in western societies, and the vulnerability of both men and women to the practice. Surveys in Canada, Australia, and the UK, reveal that 3 to 10 % of the elderly population appears to have been victims of abuse.

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