RESPONSES 1

The first thing I would want to know is if she has any bruises or marks and where her mental health is standing at. When looking at a person who is being taken care of you also have to look at the person who is taking care of them. You have to look and see if they have a criminal record. Also we need to look and see if she is feeling depressed and isolated from everyone else this can be a sign of abuse. “Elder abuse includes physical, emotional, or sexual harm inflicted upon an older adult, their financial exploitation, or neglect of their welfare by people who are directly responsible for their care. In the U.S. alone, more than half a million reports of elder abuse reach authorities every year, and millions more cases go unreported.” To begin with I would make sure that the programs have policies that need to be followed to help them grow and have a safe enviornment. Also another way to help is to have volunteers and professionals come check in on the individual randomly. Also if we put in a program to keep them more active it can lower a chance of being a subject of abuse. Also if we offered a cheaper subsitute to meals on wheels to guarntee they get a balanced meal.The goal is to make sure their needs are taken care of. This program could make sure that the individual is getting the basic needs met and prevent the abuse from happening. 

RESPONSES2

Elder abuse is a topic near and dear to my heart. I know this is a little different than family abuse, but it can fall into the same category if the person doesn’t have family advocating for them. Trigger warning death I had to walk away from this discussion twice. My aunt was abused in a nursing facility, and there were physical signs. She had bruises, and her diaper would be full every time we visited. There were many red flags that we ignored. One day the nurse did not give her insulin. Her insulin levels were so high that they could not be read on the glucose monitor. Her nurse said she gave her insulin about an hour before we found her unresponsive. That was a lie.

When she arrived at the hospital, the doctors did not give her medication to lower her potassium, which killed her. High glucose levels lead to high potassium levels in the blood. Elder abuse can also happen to a person at home in the care of a loved one. There are different types of elder abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and financial abuse. (Fast Facts: Preventing Elder Abuse, 2023) If I were Aida, I would want to know her conditions, who she lives with, if her medication is given regularly, if the patient is competent and can advocate for herself, and if the person has a power of attorney. I would put things in place, are having an in-home nurse or requesting to move Mary to a long-term facility where nurses can monitor her closely.