Older People Welfare System in the UK - Report Example

Work Based Project Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Literature Review 3 Types of Abuse 5 Older People Welfare System in the UK 7 Key Issues Regarding Safeguarding Older People 8 Field Survey 10 Strategies for Improving Safety of Older People 14 Recommendations for Local Authorities and Welfare & Charity Organisations 14 Recommendations for Employees 15 Recommendations for Regulators 15 Other Recommendations 16 Conclusion 17 References 18 Appendix 1: Questionnaire for Structured Interview 21 Introduction Every person irrespective of their age has the right to live in an environment which is free from any type of violence and abuse. This right has been supported by the responsibility of local authorities in the Human Rights Act of 1998 (The Association of Directors of Social Services, 2005). In the United Kingdom, there are several older people who depend on other individuals due to their age, incapacity, sickness or fragility. These adults usually face risk of abuse or negligence in their own home atmosphere (Keeffe & et. al., 2007). Considering this aspect, the report is based on discussing different risks faced by older people of being abused by the family members, caretakers, neighbours or other relatives. The major objective of report is to revise the existing system for safeguarding the older people who are living in their own home and to propose strategies for improvement of the system. The report will provide a summary by entailing information regarding every type of services which are available to the managers, employees, charity organisations and older people. Literature Review The abuse of older people is an old phenomenon which can be found in ancient texts, traditions and mythologies of all nations. It is a known social problem in developed as well as developing nations. Wolf & et. al., (2003) stated that the concept of elderly people abuse is evolving gradually and it is impacted by the promptness of socioeconomic transformation, enhancement of nuclear families and growing elderly population. Nowadays, the concern regarding elder abuse has driven universal efforts to increase consciousness among people and to inspire development of conduct and precautionary programs for them. The notion of safeguarding elderly people is devised on the belief that the elderly populaces have a right to live out their advancing years in peace and with self-respect (Wolf & et. al., 2003). In accordance with the study of Shugarman & et. al., (2003) it was recognised that elder abuse is a serious and increasing social issue. Several researchers suggest that growing fragility and declining mental state of older persons at times enhance stress among the caregiver which can lead to the abuse of older people. Besides, weakening social relationships also enhance the possibility of abuse of older people in their home. Moreover, it can also be observed that offensive and aggressive behaviour on the part of older people can also generate hostile reactions from the part of caregivers. It is also proposed that nature of abuser such as substance abuse, behavioural problems along with financial concerns and other types of dependencies can be more predictive of older abuse (Shugarman & et. al., 2003). Any kind of abuse has substantial negative impacts on people particularly on older adults because they generally have weak physical strengths and flexibility in comparison to younger people. Several older people are quite frail and have certain incapacities or injuries which make them highly vulnerable to abuse. Any kind of further damage can result in a serious injury or death. In certain cases, older adults are not allowed by the abusers to see their grandchildren or visitors. As a result, they often feel fear, unhappiness and nervousness. An older adult also at times suffer from feelings such as disgrace, guiltiness and embarrassment. It has also been observed that several older people lose interest in life and have suicidal thoughts, due to abuse in their home (City of Winnipeg, 2013). Types of Abuse Abuse of older people can occur in several forms such as yelling, cursing, beating, pushing, undesirable touching and sexual interaction. Furthermore, abuse can also occur in terms of abstaining from several aspects such as confidentiality and social communication among others. They often become victims of taking money or possessions without proper agreements or under pressure (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2011). The abuse of older adults can be observed with respect to following groups: Physical Abuse Physical abuse for older adults can arrive from beating, pushing, thieving, trembling, mishandling medicines, scorching, exposure to heat or cold and inadequate food and drink (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2011). Psychological Abuse Psychological abuse of older adults results from threat of causing harm, relinquishment, denial of social and any type of interactions, humiliation, accusation, manipulation, terrorisation, compulsion and bullying. These types of psychological abuse can lead to substantial mental distress, low self-esteem and isolation for older people (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2011). Financial Abuse Financial abuse of older people comprises activities such as theft of money, deception, excessive pressure regarding wills & possessions, deceit of property & assets and mismanagement of long-term power of attorney among others (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2011). Discriminatory Abuse Discriminatory abuse can result from circumstances that exploit an older person’s weaknesses. It can lead to the exclusion from attaining deserved opportunities they should enjoy as an inhabitant such as education, health, justice and access to services and security (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2011). Negligence Abuse Negligence is considered as a failure of any individual regarding the performance of certain duties that he/she is expected to fulfil. Activities that can result in negligence for older adults comprise ignorance of medical and physical requirements, failure to deliver appropriate social care and educational facilities and suppression of provisions such as medicine, appropriate nutrition, hydration and cooking. The negligence can be intentional or unintentional. Intentional negligence occurs from deliberately failing to deliver appropriate medical and social care, purposely preventing from getting healthcare services and consciously being irresponsible about the outcome of not taking adequate care of older people (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2011). Sexual Abuse Sexual abuses are considered as one of the most serious crimes against the older adults. The instances of sexual abuses include direct or indirect participation of adults in sexual activities which they have not acceded because of lack of psychological capability or they have been forced in lieu of another person who is in a place of faith, right or power (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2011). Older People Welfare System in the UK In the UK, the welfare system has three major elements which are: An assurance of minimum principles comprising least revenue Social safety in the scenario of uncertainty The endowment of services at the optimum level The UK follows the ‘institutional model’ of social welfare where the major components i.e. social safety and establishment of welfare services which are subject to individual rights. However, in reality, social welfare system in the UK is quite different from the above model. The coverage of facilities for older adults is quite extensive, but the benefits and the services are delivered at a lower level. The social protection provided to the older adults in the UK is irregular and services are closely restricted (Spicker, 2006). Key Issues Regarding Safeguarding Older People There are several major issues which have been identified for safeguarding the older people which are described below: Expression of Discrimination in Old Age Older people usually face discrimination by the abusers. Stereotypes and negative attitudes are demonstrated by segregation, relegation, isolation and manipulation in several forms. The discrimination and mistreatment of older people impact on every aspect of their life. It can be observed that incongruity between anti-discrimination regulations in several nations and the reality of segregations in the area of housing which impact on the life of older people is not explained appropriately in the international human rights law. This normative gap has substantial influence on the lifestyle of older adults (Murphy, 2012). Violation and Exploitation Although the rights of older people and the aspect of their security are illuminated in International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), it does not sufficiently define all types of violence and exploitation that older adults suffer. Older adults who live in home are mainly susceptible to exploitation and violence because of the challenges they confront in reporting complaints. Fear of retribution and loss of support from family members restrict older people from reporting abuse. A significant information gap exists for identifying violation and exploitation of older adults as there is a lack of data disaggregated by age beyond a certain specific level. Data on violence against older adults are seldom collected after certain age. It has been observed that older people regularly reject medical care and the rejection of such medical care is hardly reported. Besides, there is a lack of information on violence and exploitation because reporting violent events and lodging of complaints are often difficult when an older person is dependent on the person who is actually committing such abuses in his/her home environment. Without taking greater responsibility by local authorities to establish and to maintain sovereign monitoring tools, violence and exploitation of older people cannot be prevented (Murphy, 2012). Rights for Older People One of the most significant rights of older adults is the right to earn which is exclusively restricted to judicial upper age limit. The right of older adults to earn is influenced by the apprehension of other rights such as the right to education, social safety, resources and information. The right to education is acknowledged globally and clear provisions are made and emphasised for other areas such as children, female and students with disabilities who are supported with additional security considerations and exceptional measures. These provisions do not provide lifelong learning prospects for older adults. It can also be observed that older adults are deprived from taking any type of credits, insurances, properties, leases and allowances. Older adults also face difficulties in accessing resources during certain crisis conditions because they are incapable to compete for accessing assistance on a similar level as the younger people (Murphy, 2012). Access to Justice Older adults have the right to equivalent conduct in law and equivalent access to legal facilities. However, there are several hindrances which prevent older people to get equal justice. In recent times, new and rapid improvements in technology have led to the efficient non-utilisation of legal services by the older adults due to the complications, dimensions, languages and access difficulties (Murphy, 2012). Field Survey In order to examine the experiences of older people regarding abuse, a structured interview has been conducted. Around 30 senior citizens of the UK who were victims of abuse have been approached for the interview. The objective of the interview was to analyse the level and impact of abuse on older adults, inspect the action taken by local authorities in reaction to the abuse, discover the strategies to deal with the abuse and recognise the support necessities for older people who are being abused. The findings of the interview are represented in four major groups which are offensive experiences, effect of offensive experiences, strategies to deal with offensive experiences and assistance seeking activities. Offensive Experiences This category describes the range and type of abuses which are being experienced by the adult people. The findings highlight that participants experienced physical beating, pushing and snatching among others. The respondents also described that they were financially misled and manipulated under excessive influence to provide monetary support to their adult children. Some respondents also experienced material abuse whereby their personal stuffs were destroyed or damaged. The findings also suggest that the respondents have experienced oral abuse. Effects of Offensive Experiences This group include how the abuses had impacted the older adults physically, emotionally and socially. For certain respondents, the abuse they faced had worsened their present health circumstances. The respondents stated that they faced an extensive range of emotional influences including sleeping instabilities, sorrow, anxiety, loneliness, remoteness, low confidence and a sense of fear. Additionally, the respondents also faced certain type of pressure upon family relationships. The findings of interview indicate that most of the respondents’ experienced a blend of physical, responsive and social consequences in different ways. Strategies to Deal with Offensive Experiences This group deals with mechanisms of respondents to tackle the abusive experiences. The findings of structured interview state that respondents managed the abusive experiences by engaging themselves with certain hobbies and interests. Several participants also stated that they demonstrated personal strengths such as self-determination, resilient attitude and faith in order to diminish the abusive experiences. Interview survey indicated that the respondents require their abusive experiences to be validated by the other people. It was of great benefit for the respondents to understand the reasons for such abuses. Several respondents also felt a sense of guilt within themselves due to faced abuses. Assistance Seeking Activities This group deals with activities of respondents to seek assistance for abusive behaviours they experienced. The findings of interview revealed that only a few respondents required assistance. They have also clarified that in case of asking for any assistance they had taken support from friends, family, medical care experts and other constitutional services. They had received support in terms of practical assistance along with moral support. Every respondent conveyed their appreciation for the support they acquired and indicated that the support had provided them with confidence, reassurance and a sense of security. The respondents also stated a number of obstacles that they faced while accessing support for abuses. The obstacles include disappointments faced by the respondents because of the non-confession of the abuse by the abuser, lack of consciousness regarding the support available for adult abuse and fear of being arbitrated or rejected by the family members. In order to understand the strategies of local authorities to deal with the protection of older people from abuse, interview has also been conducted with different social welfare and charity organisations. The interview has been conducted on the employees of organisations such as charity workers and managers. Besides, different advisory groups who work for safeguarding the older adults in the UK has also been referred and interviewed. From the findings of the interview, it has been observed that in certain cases, the workers become highly concerned reading the essential activities that need to be done in a situation of an abuse. About all managers interviewed had stated that they were less confident regarding a range of instructions on dealing with abuse. A majority of managers were found to be incapable to explain their role for ensuring safety of vulnerable adults. With respect to care services, very few managers had depicted that they utilised their experiences from safeguarding of older adults in order to improve the practices. Furthermore, fewer managers are involved in providing feedbacks on improvement of welfare services which can help to enhance the safety of older adults in abuse situations. The other employees in care services of different charity organisations had found to be confused regarding their task as a regulator for safeguarding the older people. Most of the staffs described that they fail to monitor the safeguarding activities carefully and stated that there is a need for improving the inspecting procedure. Inadequate preliminary assessments have been observed through interview procedure where in most of the cases employees of different charity organisations are unable to recognise the dangers behind certain abuses of older adults. As a result, the support was not personalised according to the requirements of abused older people. The interview also depicted that the legal actions for safeguarding older adults are quite inconsistent in nature and are not understood by the frontline employees. Issues with respect to financial abuse have been found to be a difficult task to address for people engaged in safeguarding services. The difficulties arise due to low level of awareness regarding approaching financial institutions, lack of knowledge regarding available rights and options to deal with financial abuse of adult people and unwillingness of older adults to pursue justice due to the fear of losing interactions with the family members. Strategies for Improving Safety of Older People From the above study, it can be observed that various Acts in reaction to abuses faced by older adults are well established, but these provisions are quite ineffective in protecting older people in vulnerable situations. The most common drawbacks which have been derived from the findings for the protection of older adults are inadequate understanding of the employees about different protection measures, insufficient regulations and strategies for safeguarding older adults and low awareness of older adults about utilising their rights. In order to enhance the strategies for improving the safety of older people, the following recommendations are provided: Recommendations for Local Authorities and Welfare & Charity Organisations The local authorities of the UK need to provide and encourage clear and easily available information to the citizens regarding their rights to live liberally from abuse and he methods available to them for seeking proper assistance. Local authorities also need to develop easy ways for older adults to report abuse. There is also a requirement for taking the report of abuse in a serious manner and reacting promptly. In order to strengthen the protection, the victims must be involved in the protection plan so that those plans can be developed according to their requirements. The safeguarding requirements need to be tailored for maximum safety of older people from abuse. Besides, organisations must enhance the communication procedure and develop more options for abused adults so that they can be provided with long-term assistance. In this context, it can be stated that conducting a detailed evaluation of necessities, risks and possible actions for abuse can help to enhance the safety of older people (Commission for Social Care Inspection, 2008). Recommendations for Employees The employees of different welfare and charity organisations must be aware about different kinds of abuses faced by the older people and the safety programs available to them. They are required to provide people with the processes which can be followed for abuse cases. The employees are required to understand the locally available measures for notifying about abuse to the local councils and provide support to the victims of abuse. Moreover, the employees must receive training on the methods of safeguarding the older adults in the best possible ways (Commission for Social Care Inspection, 2008). Recommendations for Regulators The regulators must perform in accordance with the other local agencies in order to make sure that vulnerable older adults are adequately safeguarded. The regulators must use the powers to enhance the standards of regulatory services so that older adults are adequately protected from abuse. By strengthening regulatory measures, the regulators can boost the performance of different welfare and charity organisations. Other Recommendations Apart from the above strategies, there are other measures which can also help to enhance the safety of older adults. Educational Campaigns: Education can be provided in order to enhance the awareness and significance of prevention of abuse of older adults. The objective of educational campaigns is to inform practitioners and general citizens about the risks of abuse for the older persons and symptoms of abuse. In this context, it can be stated that media can play a vital role for changing the attitudes of people regarding the minimisation of abuse of older adults (World Health Organisation, 2002). Emotional Support: The interview depicted that older adults are enthusiastic to talk regarding the suffered abusive experiences. Thus, it would be beneficial to establish support groups for older people who have experienced abuses so that they can share their feelings with each other. Finding emotional support through communication can help to address the aloneness and remoteness which is often experienced by the older adults. In addition, since the requirements of older people change over time, the support provided to them must be constant (Lafferty & et. al., 2012). Other Supports: The older people must also be provided with other supports such as alternative accommodations, emergency services and financial supports because they are often unable to secure themselves in any type of uncertainties. Conclusion The report has provided information regarding older adults’ experiences of abuse. Older people are vulnerable to diverse types of abuses in their home environment. In the UK, although there are several measures and principles for protecting the older people, there are certain deficiencies which prevent taking proper measures for the reduction of mistreatment of older adults. The report demonstrated that the abusive conducts can have substantial negative impacts on older adults in the forms of physical and psychological harms. Besides, the report has also provided an insight regarding the strategies that can help to enhance the safety of older adults. The older adults must be conscious regarding different available facilities and supports which can help them to deal with the abuse experiences. With increased education, people can become more aware about the consequences of abuse to the older people. In conclusion, it can be stated that actual safety of older people can occur by empowering them through different regulations, procedures and practices which can facilitate them to involve in resistance activities and they can also feel confident to seek assistance. References City of Winnipeg, 2013. Abuse of Older Adults: Signs and Effects. Factsheet. [Online] Available at: http://www.winnipeg.ca/police/TakeAction/elderabusefacts/FactSheet_4.pdf [Accessed February 05, 2013]. Commission for Social Care Inspection, 2008. Safeguarding Adults: a Study of the Effectiveness of Arrangements to Safeguard Adults from Abuse. Document. [Online] Available at: http://www.elderabuse.org.uk/Documents/CSCI%20Report%20-%20safeguarding.pdf [Accessed February 05, 2013]. Keeffe, M. O. & et. al., 2007. UK Study of Abuse and Neglect of Older People Prevalence Survey Report. Comic Relief and the Department of Health. [Online] Available at: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/wccweb.nsf/Links/6EA919F805F3B54180257885002E4C6B/$file/Full+Report_UK+Study+of+Abuse+and+Neglect+of+Older+People+v2.pdf [Accessed February 05, 2013]. Lafferty, A. & et. al., 2012. Older People’s Experiences of Mistreatment and Abuse. University College Dublin. [Online] Available at: http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/Publications/services/olderpeople/mistreatementandabuse.pdf [Accessed February 05, 2013]. Murphy, M., 2012. International Human Rights Law and Older People: Gaps, Fragments and Loopholes. Help Age International. [Online] Available at: http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/documents/GapsinprotectionofolderpeoplesrightsAugust2012.pdf [Accessed February 05, 2013]. Shugarman, L. R. & et. al., 2003. Identifying Older People at Risk of Abuse during Routine Screening Practices. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Vol. 51, pp. 24-31. Spicker, P., 2006. The United Kingdom: the Welfare State. An introduction to Social Policy. [Online] Available at: http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/wstate.htm#UK [Accessed February 05, 2013]. Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2011. Protecting Adults at Risk: London Multi-Agency Policy and Procedures to Safeguard Adults from Abuse. Adults’ Services SCIE Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.hounslow.gov.uk/safeguarding_adults_london_oct12.pdf [Accessed February 05, 2013]. The Association of Directors of Social Services, 2005. Safeguarding Adults. Commission for Social Care Inspection. [Online] Available at: http://www.elderabuse.org.uk/Documents/ADASS%20guide%20-%20SAFEGUARDING%20ADULTS.pdf [Accessed February 05, 2013]. World Health Organisation, 2002. Abuse of the Elderly. Global Campaign. [Online] Available at: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/global_campaign/en/elderabusefacts.pdf [Accessed February 05, 2013]. Wolf, R. S. & et. al., 2003. Abuse of Older People. Trauma Interventions in War and Peace International and Cultural Psychology Series, pp. 105-128. Appendix 1: Questionnaire for Structured Interview Questionnaire for Respondents 1. Have you ever experienced any kind of mistreatments from family members? 2. Have you ever felt rejection of assistance and support? 3. How have you dealt with the mistreatments from family members? 4. Have you ever searched for someone to discuss regarding the negative experiences you have faced? 5. How do you seek assistance for abusive experiences? 6. Are you satisfied with the assistances you have received from different sources? 7. What are the major problems you have faced while accessing assistance and support? Questionnaire for Employees 1. Have you ever faced problems in dealing with abuse? 2. How have you utilised your experience for protecting the vulnerable older adults? 3. Is there any feedback mechanism for improvement of welfare services for older adults? 4. What are the major operational issues you have faced while safeguarding older adults? Read More