When left unchecked and unaccounted for, some circumstances can bring out the worst in people. Although capable of the highest acts and virtues, given some tweaks in circumstances, anyone can just as easily swoop down to their primeval instincts of power play and aggression. This turn of events can consequently go downhill and make way for elder abuse to happen.
In the end, its worth noting that this is a legal term. Therefore, it has set standards and definition. All injuries directed against and elderly person may have exceptions and may not qualify as such. It does not have to be merely physical. For example, an old lady getting beaten up by hooligans or an old man getting robbed and mugged downtown are not instances of senior abuse, per se.
What makes the topic of abuse more ambiguous and a matter of course in other cultures is that the boundaries are pretty much porous. The word is surrounded by definitional gray lines. Strange as it may seem, some people dont seem to know where abuse begins and ends. And the thing is, they couldnt be far from the truth. Is painful pinching abuse. What degree of verbal invective accounts as such.
However, we can be safe with a few generalizations. The most common example of abuse is probably physical. Say, in slapping, punching, kicking, and hitting an elder. Forced confinement or imprisonment is also subsumed in this category, as well as giving deliberate overdoses on drugs and medication. Whatever the case or intent, all these are instances of maltreatment and should be duly reported.
Although the themes in this event are pretty much common, the specific actualities are as different as can be. There are actually some people who are not aware that what they are doing is a constituent of abuse. You know how they say that the ignorance of the law does not exempt anyone, and that should really be subscribed to. One will have to rely on his or her own moral compass to determine whether a particular action is right or wrong. However, a bit of knowledge should never come amiss.
The boundaries of this phenomenon are quite wide and expansive, even more so than child abuse. After all, the last can be done by just about any person, even though they are not consanguine relatives or caretakers of the child. However, what often characterizes elder maltreatment is that it involves a caretaker or a person in a position of power over the victim. You can appreciate the rife technicalities here, which contributes to the fact of it being hard to root out and solve.
Mostly, the responsible party is a composite of people that the elder knows, and most probably has a relationship with. For example, it may be a spouse or a similar partner, it may be any other family member, friend, and even neighbor and caretaker. Generally, just about any person that the senior relies on for one reason or another. That is why this kind of happening is often subsumed in more general headings like family or domestic violence.
The boundaries are really over the top here. Theres the legal definition of elderly offense. However, what constitutes as such can still differ by jurisdiction. For example, in some states, abandonment is culpable since it endangers the wellbeing and welfare of the senior. Theres rights abuse, which impinges on the constitutional and civil rights of the older person. Self neglect, though a personal choice, is still considered answerable to the closest filial relation in some states. And then theres the controversial institutional maltreatment, which happens in settings that supposedly provide elderly care and assistance, such as in nursing homes and hospices.
Whatever the case, theres no changing the fact that this happening is a worldwide issue. Therefore, much attention should really be granted to it. Its, therefore, a positive benchmark on our societal development, when international attention is focused on it, in the form of community groups, government agencies, and INGOs from the whole world over. Nowadays, awareness is at an all time high, and there are events held that aim to raise awareness in realizing the abuses existence, patterns, and plotting ways to stop them.
In the end, its worth noting that this is a legal term. Therefore, it has set standards and definition. All injuries directed against and elderly person may have exceptions and may not qualify as such. It does not have to be merely physical. For example, an old lady getting beaten up by hooligans or an old man getting robbed and mugged downtown are not instances of senior abuse, per se.
What makes the topic of abuse more ambiguous and a matter of course in other cultures is that the boundaries are pretty much porous. The word is surrounded by definitional gray lines. Strange as it may seem, some people dont seem to know where abuse begins and ends. And the thing is, they couldnt be far from the truth. Is painful pinching abuse. What degree of verbal invective accounts as such.
However, we can be safe with a few generalizations. The most common example of abuse is probably physical. Say, in slapping, punching, kicking, and hitting an elder. Forced confinement or imprisonment is also subsumed in this category, as well as giving deliberate overdoses on drugs and medication. Whatever the case or intent, all these are instances of maltreatment and should be duly reported.
Although the themes in this event are pretty much common, the specific actualities are as different as can be. There are actually some people who are not aware that what they are doing is a constituent of abuse. You know how they say that the ignorance of the law does not exempt anyone, and that should really be subscribed to. One will have to rely on his or her own moral compass to determine whether a particular action is right or wrong. However, a bit of knowledge should never come amiss.
The boundaries of this phenomenon are quite wide and expansive, even more so than child abuse. After all, the last can be done by just about any person, even though they are not consanguine relatives or caretakers of the child. However, what often characterizes elder maltreatment is that it involves a caretaker or a person in a position of power over the victim. You can appreciate the rife technicalities here, which contributes to the fact of it being hard to root out and solve.
Mostly, the responsible party is a composite of people that the elder knows, and most probably has a relationship with. For example, it may be a spouse or a similar partner, it may be any other family member, friend, and even neighbor and caretaker. Generally, just about any person that the senior relies on for one reason or another. That is why this kind of happening is often subsumed in more general headings like family or domestic violence.
The boundaries are really over the top here. Theres the legal definition of elderly offense. However, what constitutes as such can still differ by jurisdiction. For example, in some states, abandonment is culpable since it endangers the wellbeing and welfare of the senior. Theres rights abuse, which impinges on the constitutional and civil rights of the older person. Self neglect, though a personal choice, is still considered answerable to the closest filial relation in some states. And then theres the controversial institutional maltreatment, which happens in settings that supposedly provide elderly care and assistance, such as in nursing homes and hospices.
Whatever the case, theres no changing the fact that this happening is a worldwide issue. Therefore, much attention should really be granted to it. Its, therefore, a positive benchmark on our societal development, when international attention is focused on it, in the form of community groups, government agencies, and INGOs from the whole world over. Nowadays, awareness is at an all time high, and there are events held that aim to raise awareness in realizing the abuses existence, patterns, and plotting ways to stop them.
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