Elderly abuse has not been researched enough, although there has been recent expansion on the research of abuse of the elderly. However, it is still lacking adequate theory because there has not been enough research done, data collected on why it happens, or the characteristics of the abuser and victim. There are some diseases that cannot always be treated or prevented, but negligence and abuse can always be prevented. By learning to recognize the signs and symptoms of elder abuse, there will be a decrease in the number of the elderly who are abused and neglected. Within this paper you will find that both men and women are victims of elder abuse, crimes against the elderly, elder abuse with celebrities, …show more content…
The ‘caregiver’ is already excused by getting this label as the ‘carer’. There is also the focus on the elder individual as the catalyst to the abuse, by pushing the carer to his or her limits. The elder individual is seen as overly dependent and has added stress to the caregiver. Violence toward the elderly by their middle-aged children or others is a special form of family violence and, just like child abuse and domestic violence, deserves to be recognized, investigated and appropriate interventions provided to save victims from unnecessary …show more content…
“It is a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person or violates their human and civil rights (Brandl, 2000). The victim fears reporting such abuse will result in losing ties with that relative or that the relationship will be upset. In several circumstances the victim would be dependent on the perpetrator a caregiver and they are afraid of ending up in long term care if they report the abuse. There may also be the fear that the abuser may find out. Furthermore, they might not have the confidence to report the abuse, and are afraid they won’t remain anonymous. Maybe there is a possibly of failure to recognize abuse and they do not know what is happening to them is classified as abuse.
From the functionalist perspective, aging is a social problem because the institutions of modern society are not meeting the needs of the dependent elderly. Interactionist believes that the elderly are stigmatized because they do not conform to the norms of a youth-oriented culture. Conflict theorist view the problems of the elder as stemming from lack of power to shape social institution to meet their needs