Elder Abuse

For the fiscal year 09-10, the Adult Protective Services of Florida received over 6,992 reports of abuse and spent over $54,000,000 on services and shelter. These shocking statistics for Florida reported by the APS only show a glimpse of the worldwide problem we face with elder abuse.

Although most may think of abuse as physical hitting, biting, or kicking, there are many other situations that may constitute as abuse of an elder. These include psychological abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. In Health Care in the Later Years, a 2004 survey from the APS states that the most frequent types of elder abuse were self neglect (37%), caregiver neglect (20%), emotional/psychological abuse (15%), financial/material exploitation (15%), and physical abuse (11%). Another misconception about elder abuse that some may have is that the perpetrator is usually a caregiver outside of the family, such as a nurse, doctor or aid. However, according to the same 2004 survey as above, in two-thirds of reported abuse incidences the perpetrator was a family member; adult children (33%), other family members (22%) and spouses or partners (11%).

All accounts of elder abuse must be reported, in fact, if Florida everybody is a mandatory reporter. A hotline number may be found on any state Adult Protective Services website where reports are documented and either accepted or declined. It is quite obvious from statistics that elder abuse is a significant issue that we face as we age. I think the bottom line is that we must all do our part to preventing this from continuing at the high rate that it does today. With education and support groups open to caregivers, these programs are the first step to illuminating this problem. Through these doors, caregivers can learn to relieve stress and cope with the difficult tasks that they must perform daily.

Living with a grandmother who cares for my grandfather, as well as a Hospice caregiver in the house ten hours of the day, I know how hard it is on others to care for an elder person. Although my grandmother is constantly physically tired and stressed about the repetition of her daily routine, she is able to take a few hours a day to get out of the house and have her own time. This break for her is both a relief from her constant job, as well as enabling her to continue activities for her own health. Seeing firsthand the stress and work it is to be a caregiver, I know that there are ways and methods to decrease and eliminate the possibility of abuse.

http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/aps/publications.shtml

The Importance of Physical Activity

According to statistics provided my many credited organizations, older Americans do not get enough physical activity to gain important health benefits; the Center for Disease Control states that 44% of older adults aged 75 and above, are completely inactive (no leisure time activity). The lack of physical activity has increasing become a problem with aging individuals. Quoted from Health in the Later Years and the American College of Sports Medicine, “Regular participation in physical activity is one of the most effective ways for older adults, including those with disabilities, to help prevent chronic disease, promote independence, and increase quality of life in old age.”

The Center for Disease Control provides some key messages and facts about physical activity for older adults that may educate and promote its importance. Physical activity does not have to be strenuous in order to achieve health benefits. Activities can be moderate in time with low intensity, or shorter with a higher intensity. Easy things that an older individual can do would be to take the stairs instead of an elevator, or walk the grocery store or mall. The CDC states that “among adults aged 65 and older, walking and gardening or yard work are, by far, the most popular physical activities.” Aside from aerobic activities, muscle strengthening is also important. Building stronger muscles can help decrease the risk of falls as well as improve performance of tasks in one’s daily life.

The benefits of physical activity strongly outweigh the effort that must be put in to reach them. Some of these benefits from Health in the Later Years include: strengthening the heart, decrease in blood pressure, weight loss, stimulation of bone building cells, and decrease in LDLs and increase in HDLs. Also, according to a longitudinal study done over 700 men “reported that those who walked less than one mile a day had nearly twice the mortality rate of those who walked more than two miles a day. The longer the distance walked, the lower the mortality rate.”

In order to help promote physical activity to the older population of America, there is much that the community needs to do. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, communities need to establish programs that help build social support as well as improve access in places that people can be active such as parks, trails, and gyms. The CDC gives the idea of adding components to already built programs that are specifically for older adults such as aquatic and flexibility activities.

After much research on the topic of physical activity in older adults, its importance is easily illuminated. With the many life-lengthening benefits of daily exercise, I believe that our younger generation needs to not only begin now ourselves, but also help and support the older people in our lives to begin and maintain a steady and active regimen. There are simple thing that any person can add to their life that can take place of the stereotypical exercise. These include thing such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking the dog, walking the mall or grocery store, and even as mentioned before, gardening and yard work. With a very active family, I have grown up knowing the importance of daily physical activity and have been able to truly see it benefits. At the age of 24, I have already programmed in me a daily run plus any other activities that I participate in. As a community we need to work together to promote longer and happier lives through physical activity.

Elder Drivers

Statistics show that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of accidental deaths among elders 65-74, and second leading with ages 75 and up. Quoted from an article from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, “between 1990 and 1997, there was a 14% increase in the number of motor vehicle traffic–related fatalities and a 19% increase in the number of motor vehicle traffic-related nonfatal injuries, among older adults – defined as adults 65 years and older.” With our population of older individuals growing at an increasing rate, these statistics can only increase as well. When presented with the question of whether the state of Florida should adopt mandatory testing of drivers over the age of 65, I think the numbers say it all, yes! Despite my immediate answer, I think there are many things that need to be considered, as well as a considerate and understanding way to go about it.

Listed on the Aging Parents and Elder Care website are many common impairments that an elder person may experience that could have an effect on their driving abilities: slowdown in response time, loss of clarity in vision and hearing, loss of muscle strength and flexibility, drowsiness from medications, reduction in the ability to focus and concentrate, and a lower tolerance for alcohol. Because these are simple and common elements that come with the aging process, I think it becomes even more apparent that some sort of test and/or evaluation needs to become standard for those people age 65 and above.

AARP is one organization that has noted this issue of elder drivers, and offers some things that may be useful. Driver safety classes which are offered, educate drivers (young and old) on impairment and aging behind the wheel. These classes offer materials and insight on how the process of aging effects driving, common physical problems that may affect driving, as well as when older individuals should begin to limit their driving. These classes would give elders the knowledge and education needed to make the decision themselves, of when it is no longer safe to drive. The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists lists some warning signs for when a person may no longer be safe driving on the road: does not observe traffic signals, needs instructions from passengers, easily frustrated or confused, or frequently getting lost. This organization actually offers driver evaluations, which can be done in area. With each driving assessment, there is a review of the person’s medical history, vision, perception, reaction time, as well as a behind-the-wheel evaluation.

Because there is currently no law for testing of elder drivers, I think it is essential for family members and friends to become aware of this issue concerning their loved ones. With education and assessment available, we are capable of decreasing the accident statistics, however until the government steps in, it is left in our hands to keep the roads safe.

Aging Stereotypes

Stereotypes are very prevalent in our society today. These sometimes negative common conceptions are placed on many groups, including the elderly. With the ageing population growing at an increasing rate, these stereotypes affect a large portion of our population. Some common misconceptions of older people are that all people who are “old” are sick; the older you get, the less help you are to society; and that a large amount of our tax money goes to the elderly when they don’t need it. Although some stereotypes are true for a number of instances, I believe it to be sad and unfortunate that these beliefs are put over the group as a whole.

Stereotypes of older people can be described as ageism. Defined by Robert Butler in our book Health in the Later Years, “Ageism is the assumption that personal traits of older individuals and their situations are due to age, not other factors.” With this said, the belief that all old people are sick, is not true. As a person ages, they do become more susceptible to chronic disease and illness, however young people can suffer from these same health disabilities. Chronic illness plagues much of the older community; however there are a number of individuals who have kept a strong and healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise, and knowledge. As we go into the future more well-informed about health and disease, this stereotype may eventually disappear. With the average life expectancy increasing, we can see that people are living a longer and healthier life.

Another negative stereotype that is put on the older age group is that they are less help to society. It is true that once a person reaches a certain stage in their health, they may not be able to perform tasks and duties as they once were. However, we sometimes forget that this could be at any age in a person’s life. Again, we can look at longer life expectancy to dismiss this conception. Because people are living longer, they are also working and giving back to society longer. This can also be seen with the increased age of retirement; although this may be due to the economic state, people are still able to continue active and productive lives for much longer than before. We also need to think about the activities that older people participate in for most all of their later years. Community service and volunteer work are examples of ways that this age group does give back to society even if they are no longer working, and in some cases are disease-stricken.

Health care is an issue that has many sides, and continues to be an argued political topic. One aging stereotype that I myself have actually heard with my own ears is that all of our tax money goes to health care for the elderly. I can understand how to some it may be frustration to see a chuck of their paycheck taken out for Medicare coverage, however there is much more to this. Because older people are more likely to have a chronic illness, they utilize and need health care coverage more than any other group. With a lower income these older individuals may not have the means to pay for necessary care. As it is, older people still have to pay thousands of dollars for health care. According to our book, Health in the Later Years, “In 2003, the average out-of-pocket health care expenses (paid by elders themselves) averaged $3899, almost 13 percent of their total income and more than twice that of the general population (almost 6 percent)”. If we look at this stereotype example from other angles, people have to be more willing to pitch in for the needs of the elderly. These are our parents, grandparents, and one day us!

Living with my grandparents I have been able to see and experience firsthand, two elderly people of similar age, at different levels of health. My grandmother is active and healthy at the age of 86, while my grandfather is bedridden with chronic disease at 85. To me it is very saddening to read and hear many of the stereotypes that are put on the older population. So many people are narrow-minded and oblivious to many issues in this world, and I encourage everyone to battle against the negative stereotypes that are put on all groups that make up our world.