paper proposal

Elder Abuse

          The topic I have picked to write about is elder abuse and neglect. This is a very sad subject to talk about but it is definitely a very important one. We all know someone close to us who is elderly, whether it is a grandmother, grandfather, neighbor etc. These people have shaped you to be who you are today. So what makes people think that they can beat, sexually assault,steal from or neglect the elderly? Unfortunately it is a growing epidemic in the United States. These people put their lives in other peoples’ hands, or their family did, in hopes that they will be cared for. I read an article on Time Magazine’s website that talked about two cases of abuse and neglect; one in New York and one in Miami. Both investigations found that the operators of these institutions were able to inflict harm with impunity, repeatedly violating the rights of their residents — in some cases, killing them — while being paid millions of dollars by the government for their "care." Worse, when such abuses were exposed, the homes were not shuttered but simply advised not to do it again (Szalavitz). This just makes me ill.

Why is this important to you? Because you are on the road to be healthcare workers, educators, social workers, and law professionals; you will be the key to our aging populations care and well being. In China, their elderly stay at home until they pass away, the oldest child gets the responsibility to care for them. I recently read a report describing the long-term care system of Denmark that makes our system look confusing and heartless. In Denmark, long-term care is essentially free or very low-cost and is available to anyone in need. Nursing home residents pay a “rent” depending on income, but the report describes these rents as “in general not high.” Those who need home care on an ongoing basis get it for free, although temporary home care is free only to those with the lowest incomes (Margolis).

According to the best available estimates between one and two million people 65 and older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection (Wallace). Nearly 1.6 million Americans now live in nursing homes. That number will double in the next twenty years, as medical science lengthens our life expectancies and the senior population grows. Inevitably, most of us will have to supervise the care of aging parents or grandparents, and every one of us faces the prospect of growing old and possibly frail. Sadly, thirty percent of elderly Americans say they would rather die than move into a nursing home. In California, one third caused serious injury or death, and less than 2 percent of nursing homes had no violations. (Diane S. Sandell)

          My audience for this paper is going to be for the general public who read Time Healthland Magazine because that is who I am writing this article for. Time Healthland Magazine is an offspring of Time Magazine that is all about health subjects. I enjoy this magazine and read news on their website almost daily. This would be a great subject for people to learn about because we are all going to be in the position to care for elderly or we ourselves might be in a long-term facility one day.

Diane S. Sandell, Lois Hudson. Ending Elder Abuse. QED press, 2010. 192.

Margolis, Harry S. Elder law answers Blog. 27 9 2010. <http://blog.elderlawanswers.com/?p=310>.

Szalavitz, Maia. Time Healthland. 7 6 2011. <http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/07/why-so-much-abuse-is-allowed-to-continue-in-residential-care/>.

Wallace, Richard J. Bonnie and Robert B. "Executive Summary." Elder mistreatment. The National Academies Press, 2003. 570.