Elder advocacy involves protecting the elderly through various means, such as working with state agencies, passing laws, and reporting abuse. Elder abuse is a growing problem, with 1 to 2 million older Americans experiencing some form of abuse, exploitation, or neglect. Senior lawyers work to raise awareness and help older adults find ways out of abusive situations. Aged care facilities are implementing senior advocacy protocols to prevent and punish neglect, abuse, and exploitation.
A senior advocate is someone who works to talk to and protect the elderly. Elder advocacy can take many forms. In some cases, advocacy for older adults may mean writing to state legislators to pass laws that protect older adults and punish abusive or negligent caregivers and care facilities. An elder advocate may also work with state adult protective services, social workers, or elder care facilities to ensure that the needs of older clients are met and their civil rights are protected. Some senior attorneys work with people to make sure they get the care they need and to help them find it if they aren’t.
As the elderly population grows in the United States and Europe, so do cases of elder abuse. Tracking and preventing elder abuse is extremely difficult for state agencies because domestic elder abuse often goes undetected or unreported, and abuse in care facilities can be hidden from inspectors. U.S. states are inconsistent in their laws that define and punish elder abuse, so an elder abuse advocate can help by working with state legislators to raise awareness and pass laws that protect at-risk older people.
The National Center on Elder Abuse estimated in 2003 that 1 to 2 million older Americans have experienced some form of abuse, exploitation, or neglect. Older people are particularly vulnerable to abuse because they may be completely dependent on someone else for their daily needs, or due to diminished physical or mental capabilities. The abuse can be physical, emotional or exploitative. An elderly advocate might just be a neighbor who suspects a problem and helps an elderly person by reporting suspected abuse to social workers or local law enforcement.
Some cities have elder abuse hotlines for victims, neighbors, and caregivers to anonymously report suspected abuse. Local aged advocacy agencies are also being formed, with volunteer or paid employees trained to identify and report abuse. These senior lawyers might work with individual older people, with home caregivers or with care facilities. Their job is to raise awareness of signs of abuse and to work with older adults to help them find ways out of abusive situations.
Many aged care facilities are instituting senior advocacy protocols, which a local seniors advocate could monitor or assist in employee training. These protocols set out what rights patients and clients have, what constitutes abuse, and the appropriate avenues and standards of accountability for reporting, preventing and punishing neglect, abuse and exploitation.
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