Elder abuse is regarded as a specific or recurrent act, or a failure to act appropriately, that occurs within any strong reliance on expectations of trust and results in the injury or suffering of an elderly adult. Violence against the elderly has substantial psychosocial implications and economic and societal ramifications, including, for example, bodily injuries and early death, despair, cognitive impairment, financial ruin, and confinement in nursing facilities. As elder abuse has become a common and highly threatening phenomenon, nurses should approach its cases effectively to protect victims and help them achieve justice and well-being.
People with functional reliance, cognitive decline, or handicaps are more likely to be victims of abuse. While seniors frequently have these characteristics due to their age, they become more vulnerable to abuse as well. For a range of factors, elder abuse is frequently not noticed or recorded. Healthcare staff often come into touch with elder victimization and thus can perform a pivotal duty in discovering and documenting such incidents for responsive measures. Because elder abuse results in complicated adverse health outcomes, nurses’ comprehension of and responsiveness to integrated and person-centered treatment is critical for resolving elder abuse.
Every nurse, irrespective of their location, is required to report suspected elder abuse. Nurses are required by their employment contract to disclose elder abuse situations or suspects. They are also expected to intervene by providing services to the elderly to ease the caregiver’s burden, facilitating financial management training programs for the elderly prone to economic exploitation, and facilitating shelter provision to the homeless. Nurses must also confront age discrimination and push for changes in policy, regulations, and procedures to protect the safety, independence, fairness, and justice of older persons.
All in all, nurses play an important role in the protection of senior people from abuse. Although the prevalence of elder abuse and the best ways to avoid it is still little understood worldwide, healthcare providers help victims achieve justice and improve their well-being. They document cases of abuse, provide physical and mental care, confront discrimination based on age, and advocate for older adult rights.