Elderly Abuse Essay Example for Free

Elderly Abuse Essay Lifespan stage and counseling-related problems. As part of being a human being, we are born and we grow old as time passes and then we die as life comes to an end. Part of human development is the stage of late adulthood. From the book â€Å"Human Behavior in the Social Environment,† by Jose B. Ashford and Craig Winston LeCroy, the years from age sixty until death are considered late adulthood. At this stage of life, there are many challenges that the elderly people face. Aging comes with the loss of being independent, age discrimination and diminished physical ability. During the aging process, there are also biological, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual changes. Beside two other big challenges such as poverty and ageism, one of the biggest problems that elderly people face is elderly abuse when they are at the point in their lives where they are dependent of someone to provide supports for them. According to the American Psychological Association, an estimated 4 million older Americans are victims of physical, psychological or other forms of abuse and neglect. Many people who hear â€Å"elder abuse and neglect† think about older people who live in nursing homes or older relatives who live all alone and don’t have visitors. Being part of the counseling program, it is important for counselors to know that majority of incidents of elder abuse do not happen in nursing homes or other residential settings, but rather takes place at their own home with their own spouses, children, siblings or relatives. Forms of elderly abuse to be aware of are physical abuse, verbal/psychological/emotional abuse, sexual abuse, financial exploitation and neglect. Elder abuse is often a very complex problem that is caused by many reasons such as cultural issues, stress, society and other factors. Elder abuse affects both older men and women from all socioeconomic groups, cultures, race s and ethnicities. Bio-psycho-social developmental themes Bio-psycho-social developmental themes affecting late adulthood is crucial in  understanding elderly abuse. During this developmental stage, there are lots of changes in the biological systems among this age group. Problems related to elderly physical health include gradual loss of bone mass, joints are more restricted, variety of foot problems, and arthritis which is known to affect many elderly people. Power and speed of muscle decrease as well as strength and endurance. There is a decline in hearing and vision impairment. Skin gets thin and dryer which make the skin more easily bruised and injured. Maintaining independence and health is very important in the success of someone who is in this stage of development. With the biology of aging, the elderly become physically frail which cause others to care for them sometimes resulting in mistreatment and abuse. Forms of elderly abuse that affect the individuals biologically are physical abuse and sexual abuse. Physical abuse ranges from getting slapped, shoved, beatings, kicking, pinching, burning, and getting restrained with ropes or chains. Giving inappropriate medications is also part of physical abuse. Sexual abuse among this age group ranges from inappropriate touching, forcing sexual contact, rape, sodomy and coerced nudity. It is the least reported type of elderly abuse. Sexual abuse also includes taking pictures and forcing an individual to look at pornography. These two forms of elder abuse usually cause physical problems such as signs of body bruises, bruises around genital areas, unexplained sexually transmitted diseases, untreated wounds, sprains, broken glasses and bloody underclothing. There are changes in the psychological system of this developmental stage that contributed to elderly abuse and mistreatment. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia for aging individuals. Alzheimer is literally having memory loss which is common among individuals that are in their sixty and above. Cognitive impairment increases with age and dementia is usually one of the biggest problems that often refer to irreversible cognitive impairment that affects an individual’s memory, personality, and functioning. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, cognitive impairment can sometimes be discovered early in individuals. When individuals are not able to recall names, forgetting words, misplacing things, having memory loss, getting lost in own street or neighbor, not knowing or forgetting chore needs to be done, they may possibly be showing Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Behavioral and emotional changes occur in people with Alzheimer’s disease. As the disease gets worsen, those with the disease will experience symptoms that include delusions, agitation, aggression and uncooperative with care. Alzheimer is a commonly known dementia disease in which there is no cure and it gets worse as it progresses. The risk of abuse increases in people with health issues such as dementia (Kohn and Verkoek-Oftedahl 2011). Verbal, emotional and psychological abuses are the common abuses that elderly individuals suffered from. Signs of emotional and psychological abuse are being upset, withdrawn, and unusual dementia-like behavior such as rocking and sucking. Name calling, intimidation, threatening, isolating the individual from families and friends are forms of verbal, emotional and psychological abuse. In late adulthood, the social dimension or support system becomes smaller. Majority of older adults have some family, while others do not. Family is the first line of support for older adults when they need care and assistance. Some older adults or elderly individuals often live with their children including grandchildren, while others live with their spouses. It is important to know that elderly abuse is often caused by family members and the least likely to be reported. For those that do not have family and are dependent for care, they are often live in adult residential homes or care facilities where they only people they interact with are the staffs within those settings. Elderly abuse is sometimes caused by individuals working at the care homes. Some individuals of this population experience loneliness and isolation. When an individual is isolated for no apparent reason, it is sometimes can be part of elderly abuse. Counseling Practice: Assess and Strategy Elderly abuse is often the result of certain societal attitudes that contribute to the violence and discrimination against older people. From the American Psychological Association, such factors that contribute to elderly abuse include the devaluation of and lack of respect for older adults and the society’s belief that what goes on in the home is a private â€Å"family matter.† When societal views regarding older people as insignificant, it results in failure to recognize the importance of assuring support, dignity and nonabusive life circumstances for every older individual. When people outside of the family observe or suspect abuse, they may fail to intervene because they believe that it is a family problem and is none of their  problems or they might be afraid that they are dealing with a private matter. Also, the feeling of shame and embarrassment might often make it difficult for older persons or even family members to report and reveal the abuse because they do n’t want others to know that such events are occurring in their families. Counselors need to take into consideration of certain cultural values, beliefs and traditions that influence the family dynamics and intergenerational relationships. These differences can make the situations difficult to distinguish from abuse or neglect. One big problem is older individuals from ethnic minorities or immigrants that do not speak English and have language barriers, financial or emotional dependence that prevent them from seeking or willingness to report abuse. It is important that anyone who works with older people in potentially abusive situations need to be sensitive to cultural differences and intervene accordingly as well as not to ignore signs of abuse. To prevent elderly abuse, counseling for behavioral or personal problems in the family can be helpful. Treating family members with substance abuse can prevent violence against aging adults in the households. In some cases, it may be a best interest to have the older individuals move to a different safer setting or having the older individuals live in nursing home if adult children are not equipped emotionally and physically to support and handle the responsibility of caring for an elderly person. When suspected of elderly abuse, counselors or any other related mental health professionals are mandated to report elderly abuse to adult protective services as required by laws. It is also important not let fear prevent you from reporting any suspicions of abuse taking place. It is important to know that someone’s life can be saved from further harms including death. People in their late adulthood deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. They are our parents, grandparents and love ones who deserve good care and love as they have reached the full stage of their lives. Cited Page Ashford, J. B., LeCroy, C. W., Lortie, K. L. (2010). Human behavior in the social environment: a multidimensional perspective (4th ed.). Australia: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning. Elder Abuse and Neglect: In Search of Solutions. (n.d.). http://www.apa.org. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from http://www.apa.org/pi/aging/resources/guides/elder-abuse.aspx Kohn, R., Verhoek-Oftedahl, W. (2011). Caregiving and Elder Abuse. Medicine Health Rhode Island, 94(2), 47–49. OpenStax College. (2013, July 29). Challenges Facing the Elderly. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m42880/1.4/ Resources Two Current Book References Glicken, M. D. (2009). Evidence-based counseling and psychotherapy for an aging population. Amsterdam: Academic. This book is a practical guide for advanced students, social workers, clinicians or anyone in the mental field that work with elderly clients. It covers the most effective evidence-based practices for assessment and treatment of elderly clients. Each chapter of the book directly addresses different range of conditions and disorders that are the most common for the elderly population such as social isolation, elder abuse and neglect, depression, anxiety disorders, terminal illnesses, dementias and so forth. It also prepares readers for conditions that they will encounter in the real world even working with or interacting with the elderly population. Wilson, G. (2000). Understanding old age critical and global perspectives. London: Sage. This book is about understanding old age or the elderly population. It gives readers a wide range of issues and policies on ageing. It provides many theoretical perspectives on ageing in different societies, the trends involving aging adults and what roles should be taken by older people including those who interact with this population. The book explores migration, different health issues, pensions, the structure of family and institutional care as well as it also touches based on elderly abuse. This book is essential for students, nurses, social work, counselors and those who want further understanding of the older population in our society. Journal Article Thompson, H., Priest, R. (2005). Elder Abuse and Neglect: Considerations  for Mental Health Practitioners. Adultspan Journal, 4(2), 116-128. According to the authors, elder abused is largely an unrecognized problem in the United States and is often untreated. Elder abuse and neglect is so prevalence, that not all incidents are reported. By 2030, the elderly population of late adulthood will double and it is important for mental health practitioners to be aware of intervention, different strategies, consequences, laws and the risk factors that contributed to elder abuse when working with clients. The article addresses the different types of elderly abuse and states real life problems that mental health practitioners including counselors will encounter when working with the population. Educational Internet Website National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) www.ncea.aoa.gov The National Center on Elder Abuse or NCEA is directed by the U.S. Administration on Aging. According to the mission of The National Center on Elder Abuse, it is a resource for policy makers, social service and health care practitioners, the justice system, researchers, advocates, and families. The site has prevention strategies and different intervention partners that are good for different work fields such as for those working with older people in the social services, APS, Ombudsman and etc†¦ It provides many different practices that are utilized in different states throughout the United States. Local Referral Source Department of Health and Human Services, Ombudsman Program 7001 A East Parkway Sacramento, CA 95823 Telephone: (916) 875-2000 The Office of Ombudsman provide information, answer questions and resources to address issues. The Office of Ombudsman protects and defends a citizen’s rights.

Business Proposal for Library at the Exton Campus of Delaware County Co

Business Proposal for Library TABLE OF CONTENTS Background1 Current Environment.2 Proposed Environment...3 Diagram.4 Benefits.6 Business Requirements and Cost Analysis...8 Conclusion9 BACKGROUND I am proposing for a library to be put into the Exton campus of Delaware County Community College. There is currently not a library at this location. In order to have the use of a campus library we must go to the main campus of the college, which is approximately thirty to forty minutes from the Exton location. There are many students that go the Exton campus throughout the year and take a variety of courses. Many of these courses require at least some time spent in the library to write papers, to do research, etc. Not everyone has the time to drive to main campus to use the library so I am proposing for one to be added to the Exton location. The Downingtown campus can use the library as well because it is relatively close. It only seems logical to add a library to a college campus because not only does it make it easier to students to complete their assignments but it also promotes learning. A library is necessary in order to learn. There are many materials in a library that people do not have access to at home. CURRENT ENVIRONMENT The current environment consists of basically nothing right now because there is not library on the Exton campus. The only way for students to use a campus library as of now is to go the main campus of Delaware County Community College in Newtown Square. This is rather inconvenient for most people because many reasons. For example the student may have a family to take care of and therefore not have the extra time to be travelling so far to use a library. Also some students may not have the use of a car in order to travel that far to use a campus library. The only way for an Exton campus student to use the main campus library is to request that certain books be sent to the Exton campus where they can pick them up and use them. This can be a rather lengthy process and most students do not even know this service is available. The only other choice students have right now is to make the drive to main campus. Because... ...log or computer based card catalog ï‚ · Check out/in equipment ï‚ · Desks for check out/in equipment to sit on ï‚ · Carts (at least two) to hold books that need to be reshelved CONCLUSION All in all, I propose to have a fully functioning library added to the Exton campus of Delaware County Community College. Currently there is no library on the campus. Access to the campus library means driving at least thirty to forty minutes. This is rather difficult for many students to work into their busy schedules. With a library on campus will come many benefits not only to the students but also to the school. The students would have an area to meet for group projects and study groups as well as access to research databases and computers. A new library on the Delaware County Community College campuses would bring more prestige to the school and perhaps attract perspective students. A new library would also raise revenue for the school. A new library on the Exton campus would be a smart idea because most of all it is going to help the students better themselves and their learning career. More college graduates means more better paying jobs and a better community. Business Proposal for Library at the Exton Campus of Delaware County Co Business Proposal for Library TABLE OF CONTENTS Background1 Current Environment.2 Proposed Environment...3 Diagram.4 Benefits.6 Business Requirements and Cost Analysis...8 Conclusion9 BACKGROUND I am proposing for a library to be put into the Exton campus of Delaware County Community College. There is currently not a library at this location. In order to have the use of a campus library we must go to the main campus of the college, which is approximately thirty to forty minutes from the Exton location. There are many students that go the Exton campus throughout the year and take a variety of courses. Many of these courses require at least some time spent in the library to write papers, to do research, etc. Not everyone has the time to drive to main campus to use the library so I am proposing for one to be added to the Exton location. The Downingtown campus can use the library as well because it is relatively close. It only seems logical to add a library to a college campus because not only does it make it easier to students to complete their assignments but it also promotes learning. A library is necessary in order to learn. There are many materials in a library that people do not have access to at home. CURRENT ENVIRONMENT The current environment consists of basically nothing right now because there is not library on the Exton campus. The only way for students to use a campus library as of now is to go the main campus of Delaware County Community College in Newtown Square. This is rather inconvenient for most people because many reasons. For example the student may have a family to take care of and therefore not have the extra time to be travelling so far to use a library. Also some students may not have the use of a car in order to travel that far to use a campus library. The only way for an Exton campus student to use the main campus library is to request that certain books be sent to the Exton campus where they can pick them up and use them. This can be a rather lengthy process and most students do not even know this service is available. The only other choice students have right now is to make the drive to main campus. Because... ...log or computer based card catalog ï‚ · Check out/in equipment ï‚ · Desks for check out/in equipment to sit on ï‚ · Carts (at least two) to hold books that need to be reshelved CONCLUSION All in all, I propose to have a fully functioning library added to the Exton campus of Delaware County Community College. Currently there is no library on the campus. Access to the campus library means driving at least thirty to forty minutes. This is rather difficult for many students to work into their busy schedules. With a library on campus will come many benefits not only to the students but also to the school. The students would have an area to meet for group projects and study groups as well as access to research databases and computers. A new library on the Delaware County Community College campuses would bring more prestige to the school and perhaps attract perspective students. A new library would also raise revenue for the school. A new library on the Exton campus would be a smart idea because most of all it is going to help the students better themselves and their learning career. More college graduates means more better paying jobs and a better community.

Family vs. Family

Between the two short stories, â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by James Baldwin and â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, they reveal similarities and differences. Both stories are similar in the importance of family ties and the way they view family, but differ in sibling relations. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, the siblings want to recreate their brotherly bond again, but in â€Å"Everyday Use† there is no sign of healing the hole between Dee, Maggie, and Mama. First, we will look at the importance of family ties between both stories. In â€Å"Everyday Use† the characters have strong connections with family ties and their heritage. Not ‘Dee,’Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo! † (280). Dee changing her name to Wangero tells the reader that Dee believes by changing her name to a more â€Å"African† name is confirming her African heritage. Having this new name, Wangero â€Å"kills† Dee, so theoretically by changing her name she is killing off her own family heritage. Similarly, in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† the two brothers have importance in family ties too. When the narrator’s mother says, â€Å"You got to hold on to your brother,† she said, â€Å"and don't let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil you gets with him.You going to be evil with him many a time. But don't you forget what I told you, you hear? † (264-265). The mother makes the narrator (brother) promise her to take care of Sonny no matter what. This shows us the unconditional love of the family, or family in general. All the mother wants is for Sonny to be taken care of and looked after when she can no longer look after him anymore. Also, from the article To the Deep Water James Baldwin's â€Å"Sonny's Blues† by McParland, Robert P. , he says â€Å"Sonny has reached a point of breakthrough and he is giving his life back in music.Here Baldwin provides a beautifull y lyrical passage suggesting generation and memory, as Sonny plays. Sonny's music restores to the narrator memory, community, and family. † This here is another reference towards family and family ties. Except this time it is through Sonny’s new found talent, music. His music was so powerful, he abstractly injects his own family memories into the music and makes the narrator (brother) remember his mother’s face and his father. From another article called, In Spite of It All: Reading of Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use. By Whitsitt, Sam, he states, â€Å"When the flashy Dee finally does return, greeting her mother in Arabic and declaring that she no longer bears the name â€Å"Dee,† but the African name â€Å"Wangero,† and that â€Å"Dee,† † ‘She's dead' † (29)–it's as if there is not even a tombstone to mark the presence of her absence. Her return seems less a return than a passing by; she appears a curious visitor who has momentarily stopped off a road which began and ends elsewhere. † I agree with what Whitsitt says about Dee. He says that because of her changing her name to â€Å"Wangero†, her return back home to visit should not be called a return, but merely a passing by.By changing from â€Å"Dee† to â€Å"Wangero†, it is as if she has never existed in the first place. Another similarity I found is a bit complex, but also relates to a sense of family. It occurs when Dee says, â€Å"I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me. † (280). This means that Dee feels she is being held back from her culture not being named something more close to what her background is and that she is basically being suppressed by the white man for having a name like Dee.Similarly, in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† the notion of being suppressed black males is also given to Sonny and his brother. It is depicted by the description of the father’s brother’s death. â€Å"This car was full of white men. They was all drunk, and when they seen your father's brother they let out a great whoop and holler and they aimed the car straight at him. They was having fun, they just wanted to scare him, the way they do sometimes, you know. But they was drunk. And I guess the boy, being drunk, too, and scared, kind of lost his head.By the time he jumped it was too late. † (264). The mother interprets the position and situation of a black male when she tells us what the fathers attitude is after the death of the his brother, â€Å"Till the day he died he weren't sure but that every white man he saw was the man that killed his brother. † (264). This exposes to us the suppressed fear and hatred that was hidden inside of the father towards the whites. In the article James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues’: Complicated and Simple by Murray, Donald C. he says â€Å"His brother respon ds deeply to Sonny’s music because he knows that he is with his black brothers and is watching his own brother, grinning and â€Å"soaking wet. † This further proves that the aspect of family can be seen differently. By looking at it as heritage, the author explains that the narrator of â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† is greatly affected by the music Sonny plays because he feels at home now, or â€Å"with his black brothers† as he denotes it. One difference between the stories is that in Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use†, the relationship among siblings nearly dominates the story because it is shown is several places.For example, â€Å"How long ago was it that the other house burned? Ten, twelve years? Sometimes I can still hear the flames and feel Maggie's arms sticking to me, her hair smoking and her dress falling off her in little black papery flakes. Her eyes seemed stretched open, blazed open by the flames reflected in them. And Dee. I see her standing off under the sweet gum tree she used to dig gum out of; a look of concentration on her face as she watched the last dingy gray board of the house fall in toward the red-hot brick chimney. Why don't you do a dance around the ashes?I'd wanted to ask her. She had hated the house that much. † (279). We can deduce from this that there was some tension going on between the Dee, Maggie, and the mother. The fact that Dee was standing alone to the side, it tells us that there was some tension or hatred going on between Dee, Maggie, and mother. In addition, it is also important to note the fact that Dee being well educated contributes to her thinking she is better than Maggie or mother. Now, compared to â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, Sonny and the narrator are extremely different.We do not feel any tension or hate happening, but a sense of recovery. For example, when the narrator says, â€Å"The seven years' difference in our ages lay between us like a chasm: I wondered if these years would ever operate between us as a bridge. I was remembering, and it made it hard to catch my breath, that I had been there when he was born; and I had heard the first words he had ever spoken. When he started to walk, he walked from our mother straight to me. I caught him just before he fell when he took the first steps he ever took in this world. (259). This insinuates that Sonny’s brother wants to mend the opening that has developed in their relationship with one another and attempt to get closer to Sonny. In the article Alice Walker’s Everyday Use by Nancy Tuten, she states â€Å"It is not surprising, then, that Mama, mistrustful of language expresses herself in the climactic scene of the story not through words but through deeds: she HUGS Maggie to her, DRAGS her in the room where Dee sits holding the quilts, SNATCHES the quilts from Dee, and DUMPS them into Maggie’s lap.Only as an afterthought does she speak at all, telling Dee to â€Å"ta ke one or two of the others. † Mama’s actions, not her words, silence the daughter who has, up to this point, used language to control others and separate herself from the community: Mama tells us that Dee turns and leaves the room â€Å"without a word†. This quote depicts an image of tension and anger because Mama is not using her words to express her anger, but instead through actions. We can clearly see now that there is indeed a rift between Dee and the rest of her family, but Dee is not willing to mend the wounds in their relationship.Despite the differences in sibling/family relations brought up in James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† and Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use†, they have the same view on family ties and the way they view family. Every family is different regardless of race, ethnicity, or what have you. Every individual is different and the same in their own ways. That is why the contrast between two loving bro thers and two conflicting sisters and mother will all have their differences and similarities. Some characteristics will just be more dominant, but you both will share the good times and hard times.

Briana Ruiz. Ms. Milliner . Ees21Qh-03. January 20Th, 2017.

Briana Ruiz Ms. Milliner EES21QH-03 January 20th, 2017 Final Paper In Othello by WIlliam Shakespeare, we follow the life of an African American male, who is the lead commander of Cyprus military unit. He was a very respected man and soldier though unbeknownst to him, was a victim of a spiralling love tragedy. Iago, his ancient who acts as his trusted friend, secretly despises him due to not being promoted to Othello’s personal lieutenant, leading him to commit a murder most foul. Moving along we are informed of Othello’s relationship with the daughter of Brabantio, a rich important figure in Venice, a senate, who learns of the secret relationship and tries to separate the two, believing that she was bewitched. Desdemona lets it be†¦show more content†¦Such as the novel Milkweed, the flower in this story is a growth mindset, as despite the challenging environment that is not suitable for plant life, this flower overcame this and grew out of the concrete, displaying the true meaning of growth, and the growth mindset. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that these ideas are incorporated in various literature, and are shown in Othello and Brabantio. After publicly sharing their love and deep devotion for each other, Othello goes to prove his fixed mindset as he succumbs to the lies told by his trusted friend Iago that his wife Desdemona was cheating on him, which causes him to fall into the realm of self doubt. Throughout Act 3 scene 2 of the play, it is here where Desdemona vows to do what she can to convince Othello to appoint Cassio back to his position as lieutenant. Though Iago takes this opportunity to introduce the idea that Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio which is the reason that she is so fixed on convincing him to have Cassio as his lieutenant once more. When left alone in his chambers to think of the astonishing news Othello remarks to himself, â€Å" This fellow exceeding honesty,/And knows all qualities, with a learned spirit/Of human dealings. If I do prove her haggard,/Though that her jesses were my dear heartstrings,/I’d whistle her off and let her down the wind to prey at fortune. Haply for I am black/And have not those soft parts of conversation that chamberers have, or for I am declined†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( Act