Healthcare Ethics - elder abuse

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Abuse can be prevalent in all areas of the hospital. In the healthcare industry, we see patients sometimes because of injuries that may be because of abuse. A patient may be in the hospital and because we are familiar with the signs and symptoms of abuse, we are able to catch an abuse situation and report it to the proper authorities. There are several types of abuse; child, spousal, elder, sexual and domestic. Within the bounds of each of these abused groups can be neglect, verbal, financial or emotional (http://www.thesafespace.org/the-basics/relationships-101/types-of-abuse/). As a provider, there is an ethical standard to report abuse when observed in a clinical or hospital situation. This is often difficult when the patient may be unwilling to report the abuse such as with elderly patient.

If you hospital has Joint Commission certification, it is mandated that every patient that is admitted have an abuse screening. This is a short couple of questions that are included in the initial questions. These are question such as "Do you feel safe at home?" Elder abuse and neglect is a serious and growing problem among our elderly population. According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC, 2013), each year hundreds and thousands of adults that are older than 69 years of age are being abused, neglected, or financially exploited. Approximately 500,000 older adults are believed to be abused or neglected each in the United States. It is estimated that for every one case of elder abuse that is reported, ...