The majority of people believe that minors or children are the only potential victims of abuse. In most cases, media tend to focus mainly on stories concerning child abuse; however, the elderly are another group of people who are vulnerable to mistreatment. Abuse usually happens among older people who have dementia and lack a support system from relatives and friends (Van Den Bruele & Dimachk, 2019). The mistreatment and neglect of the elderly usually happen in facilities where this group of people must rely on other individuals for care, for instance, in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Child and elder abuse can be in different forms; it is essential to identify the forms of abuse and examine the overall effects on the victims.
There is a child abuse case in Southern California where a couple beat and shackled their daughter, who is 13 years old. The parents assaulted the minor after playing with her friends without the parents' permission. The girl sustained several injuries on the head, hands, and back after receiving merciless beatings from her parents. Child abuse is in four primary classifications: physical, emotional, neglect, and sexual abuse. Physical abuse among the children occurs when parents or guardians hurt or subject the minor to injuries. When a minor sustains small bruises to severe injuries from beating or burning, he/she will be physically abused.
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Therefore, a minor in California is a form of physical child abuse because the daughter sustained injuries from the beatings from her parents. Physical abuse has significant effects on the victim apart from injuries that the individual can sustain after the mistreatment. A child who undergoes physical abuse is likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, poor emotional and physical health, and low self-esteem. The child who experiences mistreatment is prone to health complications such as heart attack, high blood pressure, and diabetes in the future. It is vital to ensure that all children are free from any form of abuse to enable them to have a quality life today and in the future.
There is a case in Northern Carolina where an 87-year-old man experiences elderly abuse. The man has difficulties walking because he has severe arthritis and depends on a caregiver to move from one place to another. The caregiver is not fair to this man, and she always assaults him verbally and threatens to leave the older man. Sometimes the sick need help from his caregiver, but she refuses to help him, especially when cleaning or taking the man to the bathroom. The event makes the old, sick man feel unloved and sometimes wishes to be left alone because it seems the condition is burdening other people, especially the caregiver. The elderly, just like children, experience similar forms of abuse, for example, physical, emotional, sexual abuse, and neglect.
The elderly abuse in the above case is emotional abuse, where the caregiver is failing to provide the necessary loving care to the patient. Emotional abuse occurs when an old patient requires a prompt response from the caregiver, but no one turns to help him/her. Yelling to an older person is also a way of inflicting emotional abuse. It is essential to mind the language that the caregivers use when communicating with this group of people. Emotional abuse has a significant impact on the lives of older people. Emotional abuse among the elderly causes long-lasting psychological consequences, for instance, increasing the chances of developing depression, anxiety, and hypertension. The stress associated with emotional abuse among the elderly can also lead to the development of stomach ulcers. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the elderly is free from any form of abuse because it causes significant adverse effects on their health.
It is crucial to raise awareness in society concerning the issue of child and elder abuse. In Alpine County, California, where I come from, the case of child abuse has been on the rise, and this is high time to ensure that people take responsibility to report instances of minor mistreatment. In the country, the rate of child abuse is at 24%, which means that in every 100 children, 24 of them have experienced abuse in one way or another (Webster, 2019). The number of children experiences maltreatment across the country is also alarming. For instance, in 2018, 678,000 minors were victims of abuse out of a total of 3,534,000 children under investigation, indicating a 19% rate of maltreatment in the USA (Administration for Children and Families, 2020). It is essential to know this information because it provides a better understanding of child abuse and how to help address the issue and ensure a quality life for minors.
The abuse of aging is also another concern in America. In the year 2018, approximately 1out of 10 Americans aged above 60 years experienced elder abuse in one way or another (World Health Organization, 2020). However, reports indicate that 1 in every 14 cases of abuse is reported to the relevant authorities. It is vital to have this information on elder abuse to help decide to change the situation and ensure quality living among the aged in society.
It is important to note that the elderly also experience abuse like minors. The abuse cases among the elderly and the children have been rising and range from emotional, physical, sexual abuse, and neglect. Child and elderly abuse have a significant impact on the lives of the victims; for instance, it increases the chances of developing health complications such as hypertension and heart attack. It is essential to know this information because it helps address the issue and ensure quality life among the old and the young.
References
Administration for Children and Families . (2020, January 15). Retrieved from Child abuse, neglect data released: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/media/press/2020/child-abuse-neglect-data-released
Van Den Bruele, A. B., & Dimachk, M. (2019). Elder abuse. Clinics in geriatric medicine, 35(1) , 103-113.
Webster, D. (2019, July). Kidsdata.org . Retrieved from Reports of Child Abuse and Neglect: https://www.kidsdata.org/topic/1/reported-abuse/table#fmt
World Health Organization . (2020, June 15). Retrieved from Elder Abuse: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/elder-abuse
Evaluation Statements for the References
The references used in this essay provide crucial information concerning the cases of child and elder abuse. Administration for Children and Families (2020) provides statistical information on children who undergo child abuse in America. On the other hand, Van Den Bruele (2019) highlights the conditions making the elderly vulnerable to elder abuse and the forms of abuse. Webster (2019) is another source that provides crucial statistical data and forms of abuse in child abuse. World Health Organization (2020) is a critical source providing statistical information for elder abuse.
