Older people are especially vulnerable due to health issues and the inability to preserve complete autonomy. It results in physical abuse, financial abuse, neglect, and other forms of unacceptable attitude. Older individuals who suffer from serious illnesses that make them dependent on caregivers become victims of neglect, and they cannot report it or change this situation. Neglect of older adults by caregivers is an example of emotional and physical abuse, which foregrounds the need for a vigilant attitude of nurses to the signs of violence.
Caregivers accused of neglect of older adults try to justify their actions with the inability to manage psychologically with their duties. The investigation by Fang and Yan (2018) shows that most families with caregiving responsibilities imposed on the patient’s relative cannot cope with it. They disregard the opinion of older people, ignore their needs, underfeed them, and do not allow them to communicate with others (Fang &Yan, 2018). Thus, taking care of elderly individuals with physical and mental problems is challenging for caregivers who are not ready for this. In this case, asking the professional nurse for help and supervision might decrease the number of elderly neglects.
It is vital to establish adequate control of both professional and unprofessional caregivers, which might decrease the number of older people who suffer from neglect. The critical detail is that professional nurses who qualify to become caregivers also show signs of neglect towards older adults when they know that their patients will not disclose this information (Fang & Yan, 2018). Even though these situations are comparatively rare, it is not right to ignore them. Moreover, it is necessary to guarantee that the nurse understands the professional code of ethics that does not allow abusive behavior toward elderly patients.
Summing up, elderly neglect is a serious problem in health care that is a sign of abusive behavior toward older adults. Caregivers often use the vulnerability of their patients and do not try to control their negative emotions. It is critical to ensure that healthcare organizations maintain professional and nonprofessional caregivers and nurses understand their code of ethics that prevents abusive behavior toward elderly patients.
Reference
Fang, B., & Yan, E. (2018). Abuse of older persons with dementia: A review of the literature. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 19(2), 127–147.