elder abuse: a women's issue - OWL-National Older Women's League

More documents

Recommendations

Info

we can no longer ignore the reality that elder abuse isprevalent within our society and we must do somethingto address it. Enacting the Elder Justice Act is the firststep.Senior citizens cannot wait any longer for thislegislation to pass. Getting this bill signed into lawcontinues to be one of my top priorities. Therefore, Iurge my colleagues to cosponsor the Elder Justice Actand support the passage of this legislation.Our seniors deserve no less.Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I wish today to express mysupport for the Elder Justice Act of 2009. As in previousyears, I am proud to be an original cosponsor. I wish tothank my colleague, Senators Hatch, Lincoln, and Snowefor their leadership to address the often-hidden scourgeof elder abuse. For years, Congress has failed to takeconcrete action to address the consequences of elderabuse, and that must change.The Elder Justice Act takes several important stepsto help protect our vulnerable elders. First, it boostsfunding for the long-term care ombudsman program,which is the chief source of advocacy for individualswho live in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.The bill would advance the understanding of how toprosecute and address elder abuse by providing fundsto focus on and develop the forensics of elder abuse.In addition, it elevates the importance of elder justiceissues by creating a coordinating council of Federalagencies that will make policy recommendations andsubmit reports to Congress every 2 years. The legislationprovides funding for adult protective services programsand improves training and working conditions for longtermcare professionals.We must also act to prevent abuse of our elderswhenever and wherever possible. The Patient Safety andAbuse Prevention Act, which I recently reintroducedwith my colleague, Senator Collins, would do muchto prevent physical, emotional and financial abuseby providing States with the resources they need tosignificantly improve background check screeningprocesses for vulnerable populations, including frailelders and individuals with disabilities. We know fromthe results of a 3-year pilot program that thousands ofpredators can be eliminated from the long-term careworkforce that serves elders simply by improving andtightening screening standards.In closing, I urge my colleagues to support boththe Elder Justice Act and the Patient Safety andAbuse Prevention Act. Thousands of individuals witha history of substantiated abuse or a criminal recordare hired every year to work closely with exposed anddefenseless seniors within our Nation’s nursing homesand other long-term care facilities. Because the currentsystem of State-based background checks is haphazard,inconsistent, and full of gaping holes, predators canevade detection throughout the hiring process, securingjobs that allow them to assault, abuse, and steal fromdefenseless elders.I thank Senators Hatch, Lincoln, and Snowe for theircommitment to the cause of elder justice. I look forwardto working with my colleagues to enact the legislationwe are introducing today.26
Medication, Abuse and Neglect:A Contemporary DilemmaDonna Wagner, Ph.D.,Towson UniversityCase StudyMartha, an 85-year-old widow was livingindependently in an assisted living facility when herlife took a turn for the worse. A relatively healthy elder,she moved into the facility to live near her friends andimprove her social opportunities. Martha was diagnosedwith an essential tremor when she was 83 and washaving some difficulty adjusting to her life as a widow.She often forgot to eat lunch and dinner and did notalways drink enough water during the day. She thoughtthe move to an independent apartment from her ruralhome might improve her diet, her contact with friendsand the relationship with her adult children who wereall concerned about her continuing to live alone.Martha was a frequent visitor to her primary carephysician’s office. She sometimes dropped in to sayhi, other times to complain about her tremor controlor a feeling of dizziness and weakness in her legs.Her neurologist increased the dosage of her tremormedication; her primary care physician sent her to thephysical therapist and prescribed an anti-depressant. Inthe space of six months, Martha’s tremor medicationdose was increased three times, her dose of antidepressionmedication was increased and her weaknessand dizziness was getting worse. She had a few falls inher apartment and requested an aide to help her withher shower for safety. Concerned that she might notbe managing her medication correctly based upon herdizziness, the facility nurse asked Martha if she neededhelp with medication management and Martha agreedthat might be a good idea.Martha’s falls increased and she began to have afall almost every day. One day she had a serious falland was taken to the emergency room for treatment.The attending physician ordered a heart monitor todetermine if cardiac problems were at the root of thefalls and added two new medications to her drugregimen. Martha began to experience confusion andcomplained about weakness in her legs and dizziness.Her growing list of medication was well-managed bythe facility nurse but there was no improvement inher condition. The assisted living facility patient carecoordinator contacted the family about moving her intoa more supervised unit.Martha’s adult children, all of whom lived at a distancefrom Martha, were concerned and decided that theyneeded some professional help in understanding whatwas happening to their usually healthy mother. One ofthe children asked a Doctor of Pharmacy with whomshe worked to conduct a medication review to determinewhether one or more of the drugs she was taking couldbe responsible for her deteriorating condition. Thetremor medication and, in particular, her dosage whichwas by that time 4 times the recommended level, wasidentified as a potential problem. Martha, a very smallwoman, was taking a very large dose of a drug that wasnot recommended for use by older patients as well asthree other powerful medications, two of which werenot recommended for use by older patients either. Herheart monitor, a Medicare reimbursed test, benefitedthe physician, but revealed nothing relevant about thepatient. After several phone calls with the primaryphysician, who claimed not to know anything about theother drugs that had been prescribed in the emergencyroom, and the neurologist, the family was told not toworry…but if they were worried, a small reduction indosage could be done.The family located a geriatrician practicing near theirmother and arranged an appointment. The geriatricianstopped the majority of the medication and was able tostabilize Martha. She no longer was falling, feeling dizzyand was able to increase her exercise to work on her legweakness. Martha has some dementia now and requiresa higher level of care than before, but the cascadingevents that culminated in her almost total disorientation27
Page 5 and 6: Table of ContentsA Message From the
Page 7 and 8: Executive SummaryThe Center of Exce
Page 9 and 10: and pursued by a handful of dedicat
Page 11 and 12: " Women will not sit idly by and wa
Page 13 and 14: are successful in educating the pub
Page 15 and 16: Child Abuse Prevention Act, there i
Page 17 and 18: 39 Bonnie, supra Note 15 p. 516.40
Page 19 and 20: women may result in greater injury,
Page 21 and 22: clearer understanding of elderly wo
Page 23 and 24: Who commits this abuse?What is part
Page 25 and 26: • Use direct deposit for benefit
Page 27 and 28: Elder Justice Legislative UpdateRob
Page 29: Floor Statements by Senator Hatchan
Page 33 and 34: The Role of MedicationMismanagement
Page 35 and 36: Few Americans are aware of the weal
Page 37: There is no age requirement to join

elder abuse: a women's issue - OWL-National Older Women's League

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?