Elder Abuse Research Paper

The subject of abuse is extremely broad and consists of many different categories. Elder abuse is something I feel people are not exceedingly informed about, including myself. It is hard to wrap my mind around why a family member would ever want to harm a fellow family member physically, mentally, sexually, or financially. It is also hard to realize that even caregivers and nurses, who dedicate their life and careers to helping and taking care of people could be abusers as well. Unfortunately, situations of elder abuse is more common than I thought. Considering most of my classes and research throughout school have been regarding the younger populations, I thought this would be an interesting and informative article to review. The purpose …show more content…
After reading the article, I have better understanding on how to work with this population and issue. First, the article gives information on the signs, symptoms, and risk factors of people who may be abused. The article also provides screening questions that can be used when abuse is suspected. Having this information in mind will make me more conscious and aware of what to look for, which is critical for social workers in this setting. The safety of the client is always the first priority. With that in mind, it is also important to try and balance the safety of the client, and the …show more content…
Social workers have the obligation to be aware of the laws involved in their field of work. All states utilize the APS. These laws create a system of mandated reporting and investigation in the best interest of the victim. Social workers are also expected to follow the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. The article gave tons of useful information regarding the ethics of social workers in elder abuse situations. Ethics can be a very touchy subject when working with risky situations. To my understanding, in a situation where a victim is receiving abuse, self-determination can be looked over when a senior is deciding to be left in a life-threatening situation. When receiving abuse, the victim may not be in soul-mind, or have a good standard of living causing them to make irrational choices. With that said, social workers are left with the hard decision of advocating self-determination or working for a resolution to the problem. Reading about this ethical dilemma really opened my eyes and helped me understand alternatives when working with people experiencing domestic