Elder Abuse and Suicide - Essay Example

"Elder Abuse and Suicide" is a wonderful example of a paper on social and family issues.

Why is Ms. Sanders vulnerable to elder abuse?

Ms. Sanders is vulnerable to drug abuse because she has grown physically frail and thus would not be in a position to defend herself if she was physically or emotionally threatened by her drug-abusing son. In addition, as a person grows older, they start to lose their capacity to hear, see, and think as clearly as they used to. This means that her son could decide to take advantage of such symptoms to steal from her. Also, there does not appear to be another person in the home. This means that Ms. Sanders is dependent on her son’s whims to get anything done which she is unable to do herself. This increases the chances of her being abused.

Are there certain characteristics of elders who are at risk of being abused?

First, Ms. Sanders is living alone with a drug abuser who happens to be her son. This, alone, greatly increases her chances of being abused because people do not usually suspect that adult children can willfully take advantage of the parents who loved and nurtured them into adulthood. This means that even if there appears to be tension between Ms. Sanders and her son, neighbors will just see it as being part of the normal strenuous relationship that may exist at different times between parents and their children. In addition, Ms. Sanders’ did not ask her son to move in with her; he forced himself into her space by stating that he would be her caretaker. Chances are that she might have preferred an individual who is not abusing drugs to be the one to take care of her. This, in itself, is a suspicious move on the part of the son. He may have injected himself into his sick mother’s life because that way, he would have more access to drugs.
Should she be aware of certain characteristics of abusers?

Ms. Sanders should be careful about allowing her son to care for her. At his age, he ought to be a responsible man who is looking forward to starting his own family. If he lives with her, she will be enabling his refusal to essentially “grow up” (Payne, 2011). In addition, drug abusers do not usually consider the feelings of others over their own. Chances are, her son will find the more personal functions he is expected to perform for his ailing mother “off-putting”. He could even start to berate her for being unable to do the simplest tasks by herself. The only reason why he would request to be with her is so that he could steal her medication while ignoring her. If she gets a professional caregiver, he will be unable to steal anything.

Is there more than one type of elder abuse? Please explain.

There are different types of elder abuse. In physical elder abuse, the elderly person is battered or shoved by their supposed caregiver. In verbal emotional abuse, the elderly person is ridiculed, humiliated, and blamed for things that he or she did not do. Non-verbal emotional abuse involves isolating the elderly person from friends or ignoring him or her for long periods of time (Nerenburg, 2007). Sexual abuse of elderly persons has recently been on the rise. Activities such as the forced viewing of pornography can also be counted as sexual abuse. One of the most common types of abuse perpetrated against elderly people is financial exploitation. This involves the use of an elderly person’s money without his or her consent.

What can she do if she fears Simon is becoming abusive?

            First, Ms. Sanders can confide her fears to her physician, a relative, or even a friend. There are many areas that have elder abuse hotlines where elderly people are allowed to report crimes committed against them or communicate their concerns. If this does not get the help that is needed, it might be necessary for Ms. Sanders to talk about her son’s abuse of prescription drugs in order to ensure that he is removed from her house.