Child & Elder Abuse Mandated Reporting

Child & Elder Abuse Mandated Reporting

Introduction

The National Child & elder abuse Incidence Study found that about 450,000 older adults in domestic settings were abused and/or neglected. Also, they found that the number increased to about 551,000 when older adults who experienced self-neglect were added. In another study, Tatara and Kuzmeskus (1997) estimated that there were approximately 1.01 million abused elders in the country, and if self-neglecting older adults are added, the number would be about 2.16 million. However, the national data on elder abuse is unknown considering that there are many unreported cases. Currently, it is believed that approximately 1 to 2 million older Americans aged 65 and over have been mistreated by caregivers every year (National Research Council, 2003).

Discussion

Once people suspect that elder abuse has happened, they can and have to report the case. Under the federal law, the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 requires establishing Federal guidelines and disseminating best practices for uniform data collection and reporting by States. Each state has reporting guidelines for elder abuse under the state law. Under California law, "certain people are legally mandated to report known or suspected instances of elder abuse. Those people are "physicians, clergy, all employees of health care facilities, and all individuals who assume responsibility for care or custody of an elderly person. The reporters also include human service professionals and law enforcement professionals. Those people have to report any suspicious case of elder abuse to Adult Protective Services (APS) who investigates abusive cases. Adult Protective Services is established by state law. In most APS agencies, APS social workers serve to investigate all cases of alleged abuse.

The professionals who are mandated reporters of elder abuse are required to report cases of suspected abuse in accordance with certain provisions. Despite mandatory reporting requirements, elder abuse often goes unreported. Researchers found low elder abuse case reporting among physicians. The researchers found three paradoxes which cause underreporting of elder abuse: perceptions of increases and decreases in physician-patient rapport; patient quality of life; and physician control or ability to decide what is in the best interest of the patient. Primary care physicians appear to be affected by the paradoxes of reporting that contribute to the underreporting of elder abuse.

These paradoxes may fit into other mandated reporters. When mandated reporters make decisions about reporting, they may be affected by reporters' cultural backgrounds as well. Depending on their cultural backgrounds, their perceptions of elder mistreatment may be different. It is important to understand whether culture affects perceptions of elder mistreatment among mandated reporters. It is especially important for future mandated reporters to understand whether their perceptions of elder abuse are affected by their cultural backgrounds.

Child and elderly maltreatment are most sensitive issue that requires individual support by means of reporting. The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1947 require all states to report for child and elderly abuse receive special grants (Jayawardena, 2006). Act of Child Abuse and Neglect includes the mental or physical injury, sexual exploitation, ...