Signs of Elder Abuse

Elder Abuse
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Elder Abuse
Elder abuse is a pervasive and hidden social problem that has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. It is an abuse of power that affects the elderly, and it may take many forms. Elder abuse can occur in both domestic and institutional settings. The World Health Organization estimates that globally about 4% of older adults have experienced some form of elder mistreatment, defined as physical, psychological, or sexual harm plus neglect by a family member or caregiver (McDonald, 2017). If not addressed, elder abuse could result in damaging effects on the adult (Wallace, H., Roberson, C., & Globokar, J. L. (2019). This paper will focus on the case of Mamie to determine how she was being exposed to elder abuse.
One of the main signs of elder abuse is neglect. Mamie has been repeatedly exposed to neglect as Meldrick, the son and caregiver, participate in personal activities. On several occasions, Mamie has been spotted sitting in Meldrick’s car for long hours as she waits for Meldrick to drink in bars, play cards in churches or visit the OTB. Given Mamie’s age, she should not be sitting out in the car alone but should rather be resting in bed. Therefore, this indicates that she is being neglected, one of the major forms of elder abuse. The nature of abuse in the neutralization theory points out that abuse is likely to incase over time is an action is not taken (Wallace, Roberson & Globokar, 2019). Hence, Mamie needs immediate help before the situation worsens. According to the role accumulation theory, a family member with a conflicting role finds it challenging to manage their stress in life. Therefore, such an individual is not fit to take care of an elderly person because they are likely to expose them to abuse. The abuse is caused as a way for the family member to cope with their stress (Gholipour, Khalili & Abasian, 2020). Given that Meldrick is divorced and lives with his mother at the age of 59 years, it could mean that he is stressed. The only way for him to eliminate his stress is to be in the company of his mother. In the process, Meldrick neglects the mother instead of helping her cope with her health conditions and old age.
Mamie is experiencing abuse because her needs are not a priority to the people caring for her. Meldrick is focused on doing other things that make him happy in life. At the same time, he is also willing to care for his mother and does not want the mother to commit to a nursing home to get better medical care. Mental abuse plays a major role in family violence of abuse (Wallace, Roberson & Globokar, 2019). Considering that Meldrick has paranoid schizophrenia, a mental disorder, it renders him incapable of taking care of another person. His sister has agreed to let him care for Mamie is a sign of neglect and abuse towards the elderly. The sister knows that their mother would be in safe hands in a nursing home and decides that she would be safe living with Meldrick who, already has life issues. If individuals are not capable of caring for themselves, they will find it challenging to cater to other people. Caregivers need to have good mental health to make it less challenging to care for the elderly, whose needs vary from one person to another. This explains why Mamie would have been safer in the arms of professional caregivers. Such can also be explained using the role accumulation theory. According to family stress theory, an individual with conflicting needs cannot effectively care for an elderly person without exposing them to neglect or other forms of abuse (Gholipour, Khalili & Abasian, 2020). The family theory points out that an individual would feel stressed for caring for the elderly person, thus increasing their chance of exposing the person to neglect (Wallace, Roberson & Globokar, 2019). In this case, Meldrick seems to have issues troubling him in life and, therefore, not the ideal person to take care of his mother. Caring for his mother could also contribute to his stress.
Meldrick seems to feel overburdened by the idea of caring for Mamie. However, he has to do it because he would have an opportunity to spend the social security money. When the sister points out that Mamie should be sent to a nursing home, Meldrick is too quick to reject the idea, claiming that he would care for the mother. However, he would need financial assistance from the sister and utilize the mother’s social security money and Medicare. Such an argument raises questions regarding Meldrick’s reason for wanting to care for the mother. His main reason seems to be a financial gain because he has neglected the mother several times in his car. Meldrick knows that he is not in the best capacity to care for his mother but has to accept the obligation to benefit from the money. His situation can be explained using the situational theory. According to this theory, a caregiver unable to cope with the demands of the person being cared for can easily create a situation of abuse (Phelan & Ayalon, 2020). In this case, Mamie is a burden to Meldrick, and that’s why he takes her along to the church games, drinking at bars, and OTB. These are activities that Meldrick would have preferred to carry out alone. However, he has someone to care for and, therefore, has to tag the mother along. Such indicates that the mother is too much of a burden to him. This has created a situation of neglect and abuse. Because Mamie has health conditions, it is wrong for her to be left in the car at night and unattended. Mamie’s chances are high to experience a life-threatening situation, yet she has no one to help her.
The fact that Mamie has not been taken to a nursing home is a sign of neglect. Moira has received several reports that the mother was spotted sitting in a car alone and at night. Such reports are enough evidence that the mother is experiencing neglect from the son. The ideal solution in such a case is for Moira to take the necessary action to ensure that the mother would no longer be exposed to neglect. Instead of taking Mamie to a nursing home, Moira is easily convinced that the person who has been neglecting the mother would effectively care for her. The situation can be analyzed using the political economy theory. According to this theory, the roles of the elderly prevent them from working, thus increasing their dependency. An increase in dependency puts them at a higher risk o...