The Knowledge of Health and Social Care about Elder Neglect (Research Paper Sample)

The Knowledge of Health and Social Care about Elder Neglect
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Introduction
The mistreatment of the elderly has been widely depicted in ancient literature. However, with the introduction of the concept in scientific literature in 1975 (Dong et al., 2009), abuse of the elderly (AO) emerged as a pertinent research and public health issue (Rinker, 2009). By 1981, a US Congressional committee study established that up to 4% of the elderly demographic had experienced varying degrees of abuse and neglect (Rinker, 2009). In the following years, various initiatives such as the Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day had been implemented to increase public awareness about senior abuse and neglect (Rinker, 2009). Elder abuse encompasses various forms of abuse and mistreatment such as sexual abuse and self-neglect or the latter’s more extreme variant, Diogenes syndrome (Dong et al., 2009). This paper will focus exclusively on abuse to the extent that it relates to elder neglect.
Elderly neglect is a timely research and health issue due to the ageing of the global population. By 2050, 20% of the global population is expected to be aged 60 years and above, up from a global average of 605 million people (Oyetunde, Ojo, and Ojewale, 2013). Even more alarmingly, 33% of global demographics are estimated to be made up of this age group by 2150 (Oyetunde, Ojo, and Ojewale, 2013). Furthermore, octogenarians are expected to make up 19% of the “senior” age group by 2050, the fastest growing segment, while centenarians are anticipated to increase fifteen fold over the same period.
The significance of this demographic shift is that it has also led rise of adding-related diseases. Indeed, degenerative aging-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (ischemic and coronary heart disease and stroke), neurodegenerative diseases (dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease), endocrine disorders (type 2 diabetes) and cancer have propelled the global pandemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (Oyetunde, Ojo, and Ojewale, 2013). Among the developing world’s elderly (≥60 years), NCDs account for twice the number of deaths when compared to mortalities attributed to NCDs among those below 60 years (Bloom et al., 2011). This epidemiological transition reflects the reality in the more industrialized nations: in the developed world, non-communicable diseases and cardiovascular diseases already account for the most number of deaths and morbidities (Niccoli and Partridge, 2012; Blokh and Stambler, 2015). Blok & Stambler (2015) and North & Sinclair (2012) demonstrate that age has the most important influence on disease morbidity while Chaudhry et al. (2013) argue that as one’s age increases, so too does the risk of hospitalization. It is during hospitalization or when professional care is delivered for geriatric conditions that the risk for neglect and abuse develop (Oyetunde, Ojo, and Ojewale, 2013).
Several of these geriatric disorders are chronic, requiring long-term custodial care, during which the risk of neglect, exploitation and abuse by desensitized caregivers and other perpetrators increases (Oyetunde, Ojo, and Ojewale, 2013). Indeed, long-term caregivers are at greatest risk for desensitization from burnout and compassion fatigue from exposure to traumatic emotional experience and the struggle of those suffering from ageing-related conditions (Day and Anderson, 2011). Elder neglect has come to consume the interests of policymakers, health care providers, social welfare professionals, and the public in general. As the elderly population continues to expand, it is inevitable that elder abuse will remain a crucial public health policy issue due to its economic, social and personal implications (Pillemer, Burnes, Riffin, and Lachs 2016).
In response, governments have implemented various policy initiatives to enhance care and provide protection to the elderly that are in custodial or home care. In the U.K., national standards such as the National Service Framework for Older People (2001) or the Fair Access to Care Services (2003) and legislations such as the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006) provide the policy framework to support the elderly that are vulnerable to abuse or caregiver neglect (Biggs, Mathorpe et al., 2009). These policy instruments and national campaigns such as “Dignity in Care”, “No Secrets” and “In Safe Hands” emphasize the targeted approach of protecting vulnerable adults (Biggs, Mathorpe et al., 2009).
This intensified international interest in research has raised questions on the scientific research methods, definitions and theory underpinning elder mistreatment (Malmedal, Iversen, and Kilvik, 2015). Presently, there are no universal definitions of what constitutes AO nor are there standardized research methods that establish definitive prevalence rates (Malmedal, Iversen, and Kilvik, 2015).
For instance, precisely defining “old age” is a challenge in itself (Phelan, 2015). Certain researchers have deferred to the traditional and chronological state definition of old age, which, once attained, entitles one to a pension (Phelan, 2015). For instance, in the United Kingdom, this figure stands at 65 years of age. International organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) have a threshold lower by five years. In response to demographic shifts, other researchers divide the elderly demographic into the “young old” and “old old”, placing boundaries between relative youth and “oldness” (Phelan, 2015; Sweiry and Willitts, 2012). Interestingly, male individuals are categorized as “old” earlier than their female counterparts, further blurring the line between what exactly constitutes old age (Sweiry and Willitts, 2012). Regardless, this paper will focus on the U.K.-specific age group of 65 years old and above.
Figure 1: Perception of the end of youth and start of old age, organized by mean age and gender (Adapted from (Sweiry and Willitts, 2012))


Figure 2: Perception of the end of youth, organized by survey year and survey respondent’s age bracket (Adapted from (Sweiry and Willitts, 2012))


Figure 3: Relationship between survey respondents ‘age bands and the perception of the end of youth and when old age starts (Adapted from (Sweiry and Willitts, 2012))


Research Objectives
The preceding portion of this paper has briefly outlined the demographic challenges that have precipitated the heightened research focus on elderly neglect. The following portions will enumerate and explain the challenges health care providers in detecting and reporting abuse of elderly persons (AO) and the perceptions and attitudes of these same professionals in handling the elderly patient. An understanding of gaps in knowledge and attitudes is essential because, as elderly patients demand greater health services and community care, inefficient interventions and countermeasures to neglect and mistreatment will only worsen the situation of the vulnerable adult patient.
In agreement with this background, this author aims to answer the following research questions:
What is the prevalence of elder neglect, particularly in the health care setting?
What are the definitions of AO by health and social care professionals?
What is the extent of the knowledge and attitudes of these professionals about elder neglect?
What factors influence their knowledge of this issue?
Methodology
This author selected to conduct a systematic literature review of secondary research obtained from peer-reviewed journals. Scientific literature published in English in 2009 or after from digital databases such as Social Care Online, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, ASSIA, Scopus, Zetoc and ScinceDirect were reviewed. The literature search was conducted using the following search terms, in combination and otherwise:
“the knowledge”, “the attitude”, and “the perception”; These terms are associated with the experiences and views of health/social care personnel as they provide care to older clients
“health care” and “social care”: These terms encompass the care provided to the elderly in institutional and community settings by professionals
“elder neglect”, “elderly neglect”, and “older people neglecting”: These terms cover acts of mistreatment towards elderly patients. Notably, these terms were so constructed as to avoid selecting literature that discussed and explored self-neglect as opposed to neglect perpetrated by others
This search strategy yielded thirty seven (37) papers. The rationale for selecting the parameters of the inclusion criteria was, firstly, to identify material with scientific credibility (i.e. peer-reviewed and with original analysis). Secondly, the selection was intended to generate literature with an element of recency. This criterion was necessary to avoid reviewing material that is debunked or further clarified in late years. Thirdly, the literature was intended to focus exclusively on research conducted on elder neglect within social and health care settings, avoiding the increasingly vast material available on, for instance, self-neglect. The inclusion criteria were as follows:
Primary or original research into the perceptions of, knowledge in, and attitudes about elderly neglect among health and social care professionals
Published in 2009 or later
Published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and
Qualitative or quantitative research exclusively conducted about elder neglect
Studies were excluded if they:
Duplicated data from other sources
Reported on lifetime abuse instead of elder abuse
Reported abuse for respondents less than ...