Elder Abuse and Living Arrangements in Late Adulthood Essay

Late adulthood is a period of various biological changes which can impact on an whateverbodys wellness and ability to function as easily in society. The stereotypical changes of this phase be paler less elastic skin resulting in wrinkles, thinning hair gradu each(prenominal)y turning from grey to white, weaker bones, muscle loss, and visual spirit and hearing impairments e. g. cataracts and strongy with word discrimination. There argon changes to the brain also, such(prenominal)(prenominal) as the loss of dendrites which ca utilises a reduction in brain metric weight unit and volume and slower synaptic speeds resulting in slower re deed multiplication (Bee 1998, p. 53). Their immune system slows down as well, graceful less effective, and reservation them more prone to illness (Fernandez 2010, p. 794). Alzheimers disease is the well-nigh uncouth cause of insanity and is a change in the brain construction collectable to the tangling of dendritic fibres in the brain c ausing severe retentiveness loss and personality changes (Bee 1998, p. 459). Overall, the old atomic number 18 more likely to declare a chronic illness and disabilities which may impact upon their ability to bathe, walk, digest themselves, prepare meals, shop, dress themselves, and yet stretch forth in parasiticly (Bee 1998, p. 56). This stage of action sentence is characterised by a make out of assayes and is a time of reflection. An unmarrieds changing work status, in particular when they retire, can be a source of prove as work is a major ingredient of adult purporttime and they now charter to find other activities to replete their day. There is also the uncertainty of their financial future and whether they will fuck off enough to live comfortably off (Fernandez 2010, pp. 853-855).Their health or fellows health may be a nonher source of sieve for them, especially if it results in a caring role being essential to complete everyday tasks and the knowledge th at their lifetime is coming to an end (Fernandez 2010, pp. 867-868). Fernandez (2010, p. 851) states that late(a) adulthood is a time of looking back and taking be acquit of where weve been, what weve accomplished, and whom we have touched. This results in a process called Life Review which is gradually looking back at past experiences analysing and evaluating them to develop more unafraid(p) and complex self concepts (Bee 1998, p. 02). Social interaction is an important part of life, chronic on in late adulthood and is associated with good health and life satis situationion. The sr.ly have frequent contact with family, finding strong turned on(p) and practical support through them, especially adult children, and function to have lower levels of universealisation with couples and relatives providing a high up level of care and assistance to for each one other (Bee 1998, pp. 484-490). Friendships play an important role in late adulthood, with umpteen enjoying time with fr iends more than with family (Fernandez 2010, p. 43). They permit companionship, intimacy, featureance, opportunities for laughter, sharing of activities, links to a big community, and protection from the psychological consequences of loss (Berk 1998, p. 609). In late adulthood where and with whom individuals are going to live is an exhaust they face. There are a number of options available to the elderly such as mobile homes, age discriminate villages/communities, institutions, with family, or in their own home (Kalish 1975, pp. 97-99).Deciding which option is the most compositors caseable for an individual can be influenced by a soma of things, such as health, disability, socio-economic status (SES) and purification. Mobile homes such as caravans suit those looking for a low cost and informal arrangement, however, those that have a mobility affecting disability or very poor health may not be suited to this option as they are comm nevertheless small and on outskirts of town s (Kalish 1975, p. 98). Age segregated villages/communities include retirement homes that provide independent breathing arrangements or some support depending on the individuals ask (Johnson 1960, p. 7). They tend to be in semi-isolated areas (making it hard for those with expert 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 collect to severe physical or mental disabilities (approximately 5% of the aged population) (Kalish 1975, p. 99). whatsoever residents are futile to feed, dress or bathe themselves, are leaky or unaware of where or even who they are (Kalish 1975, p. 9). Medicare subsidises some of the costs, save not enough, meaning some individuals are unperturbed unable to masking piece the costs (Kalish 1975, p. 99). Family members provide the mos t broad term care, whether that is a spouse, associate or adult children (Berk 1998, p. 575). It is more common for an elder of an eastern culture to live with their children and extended family, even if healthy, than for an elder from a western culture. nigh individuals, even with a moderate disease or health problem, take for grantedt live with relatives, but in their own house (Bee 1998, pp. 82-483). livelihood in their own home provides the greatest personal control, but those living alone are often poverty stricken and have unmet needs (Berk 1998, p. 601). This is where the presidency and charity organisations help they both provide small homes at low costs in suitable areas, as well as providing services such as home help (cleaning mainly), home visiting, and Meals on Wheels (Johnson 1960, p. 48). Elder wickedness is a very real and serious issue that occurs during the late adulthood stage of life.There are many unalike types of elder abuse, including physical abuse (u se of physical force resulting in injury, inconvenience oneself or impairment), internal (non-consensual sexual contact), emotional/psychological (inflicting anguish, emotional ache or distress), neglect (failure to fulfil obligations or duties to an elder), financial exploitation (improper use of an elders funds, property or assets), and medical abuse (failing to provide adequate medical treatment or misusing medications) (Biggs 1995, pp. 6-37). It can also be intentional (conscious and deliberate attempt to inflict harm) or unintentional (inadvertent action resulting in harm, usually due to ignorance, inexperience, lack of desire or softness to provide proper car) (CSAPs Prevention Path directions 2004). Stereotypically, it is nursing home residents that are more likely to be abused, as they are believed to be vegetables, and Kalish (1975, p. 9) states that health care professionals sometimes describe feeding the resident using the expression, tearing the vegetables which hig hlights this view and often leads to elder abuse as a means of degrade the elder and punishing them for needing attention and help. Unfortunately many nursing staff mystify little or no in-service training and receive a very poor wage, so they intuitive feeling out of their depths and do not enjoy the tasks required of them, which increases the bump of elder abuse as they feel frustrated, especially if the elders abilities are declining and need more care (Kalish 1975, p. 00). This leads to very few long term facilities providing intellectual or sensory stimulation. The more staff fail to stimulate 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 cycle (Kalish 1975, p. 100). The lack of stimulation itself, could be a form of unintentional neglect, as their intellectual needs are not being met.Despite the stereotypical view of nursing homes, it is in fact tho se 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 musical composition 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 afflicted with very little social support, and the abuser suffers chronic and inveterate 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 finances and accommodation (Biggs 1995, p. 43). In 1993 the Commonwealth Government established the Working Party on the Protection of Frail one-time(a) People in the Community to protect the rights of residents in nursing homes (Biggs 1995, p. 53).Interestingly, authorisation reporting legislation 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 Advocacy avail 2012). Erik Erikson was a German psychoanalyst who developed an eight stage psychosocial increase theory this essay will focus on his last stage, self-importance integrity versus despair (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 hope is that the individual will come to toll 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 hence achieve t he virtue of wisdom (Bee 1998, p. 501). If they dont come to terms with their life they develop despair, where they feel dissatisfied with their life and feel it is similarly late to change it (Berk 1998, p. 88). For spokesperson, someone who has very poor health and is reliant on others to help care for them may feel like a warhead and have a sense of hopelessness resulting in them continuing to live alone as they do not wish to order others out. While someone else may view it as theyve lived a long healthy life up until now and they have a harming family who is willing to help them in their old age, leaving them with a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction, and will happily move in with relatives.Another ex angstrom unitle might be living in a retirement 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, high morale and a general higher life satisfaction du e to the close proximity of others of similar age. Eriksons theory is valuable in providing a guideline by which to understand this stage, but is it as tidy cut as having integrity or heroic?Maxine Walaskay classified elderly into one of four 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 discrepant (just beginning to evaluate their life) (Bee 1998, p. 501). Walaskays classification 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 to everyone in this life stage.Stress as a transaction 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 eld er abuse it would focus on the increase dependency of the elder and a burden of care large-minded as the cause of stress thus increasing the risk of abuse (CSAPs Prevention Pathways 2004).It proposes that there are factors influencing the risk of elder abuse in terms of elder related (physical or emotional dependency, poor health, impaired mental status and a difficult personality), structural related (emotional strain, social isolation and environmental problems) and carer related factors (life crisis and flame 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 example could be an only child suffering extreme financial distress due to turn 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 amidst the dependency of the elder and the stress this creates resulting in abusive behaviour, which research has been unable to prove (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 exert and maintain that power), and even a history of violence (if the elder was abusive earlier 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 in effect in society and social networks 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 stress the issues of living arrangements and elder abuse faced by individuals in this stage of life. Reference ListAged Rights Advocacy Service 2012, Mandatory account Elder Abuse and the Law, Aged Rights Advocacy Service Inc. , accessed 23 family 2012, &lthttp//www. sa. agedrights. asn. au/residential_care/preventing_elder_abuse/elder_abuse_and_the_law/mandatory_reporting&gt Bee, H 1998, Lifespan Development, 2nd edn, Longman, Sydney Berk, L 1998, Development through the Lifespan, Allyn &amp Bacon, Needham Heights Biggs, S, Kingston, P &amp Phillipson, C 1995, Elder Abuse in Perspective, Open University Press, Buckingham CSAPs Prevention Pathways Online Courses 2004, Out of the Shadows Uncoverin g substance use and elder abuse, U.S. part of Health and Human Services, accessed 23 September 2012, &lthttp//pathwayscourses. samhsa. gov/elab/elab_1_pg1. htm&gt Fernandez, E 2010, SOCW1003 Human Behaviour 1 Life stress and the life span, McGraw Hill, due north Ryde Johnson, E 1960, Social Provisions for the Aged With special reference to accommodation, clubs and treasure homes, in A Stoller (ed), Growing Old Problems of Old Age in the Australian Community, Halstead Press, Sydney pp. 46-53 Kalish, R 1975, Late Adulthood Perspectives on Human Development, endure/Cole Publishing Company, California