Elder Abuse
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Elder abuse research papers illustrate that abuse of the elderly, especially elder abuse in nursing homes, is a prolific problem in the United States. Currently, only 14 percent of U.S. population is over the age of 65 and that segment utilizes one tenth of total health care outlays. Experts estimate that by 2030, the aged population will reach 20 percent. In Sweden, 20 percent of the population is already over 65 and long term care accounts for one third of health care spending. With the current state of government aid budgets, drastic measures must be taken in order to meet the increasing demand.
Topics you may want to explore regarding elder abuse include:
- Elder abuse in nursing homes
- Mental abuse towards the elderly by caregivers
- Elder abuse in public versus private run facilities
- Legal ramifications of Elder Abuse
Elder Abuse is Increasingly Common
Elder abuse is increasingly common in both private and state nursing home situations, a fact some attribute to the low availability of proper funding to provide competent caregivers for long-term care. Since current methods of policing the care of the elderly have failed, it behooves the government to study other nations to learn best practices. Europe has become a land with an enviable standard of living, but no interest in taking a lead role in world affairs. Citizens of countries that do not have state welfare programs may begin to immigrate to countries that do, further complicating budget and immigration issues, both in Europe and in the U.S.
Medicare and Elder Abuse
Although most western European countries cover long-term care along with acute care under their national health insurance, the U.S. makes a sharp distinction between the two.
- The Medicare program covers acute care
- Medicaid covers long-term care
Other advanced industrial countries have been reluctant to expand health insurance coverage to include long-term care, especially services considered primarily "social" rather than "medical." No country provides comprehensive nursing home care coverage through the same public insurance system that covers acute medical care or through a comprehensive public long-term care insurance program. In all countries, national coverage of nursing home care is limited to medically oriented care. In most advanced industrial countries, services such as homemaker/chore and personal care are labeled social rather than health services and are organized and funded at the local or regional level.