Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes, Research Proposal Example

Why this topic is important: Since about 1.5 million people reside in nursing homes at any one time (CDC), the potential for abuse affects a large segment of the population. Understanding the incidence and contributing factors of this problem will help me be aware of and help prevent such occurrences in my future practice.

Thesis: Elder abuse occurring in nursing homes reflects predictable and preventable conditions. The paper will look at the causes of elder abuse in nursing homes and suggest remedies to reduce its incidence.

Approach: The paper will begin with an evaluation of the prevalence of abuse in nursing homes and an examination of the types of abuse that occur. It will then look at models of causation and how they differ from those for elder abuse in other care situations (such as in-home care by relatives) before moving on to explore possible interventions.

Audience: The audience for this paper includes the professor and students in this class and staff working in nursing homes. The paper is intended to be accessible to the general reader as well as those with more professional knowledge of the subject matter.

Sources: The sources will be academic studies from scholarly journals and will deal with the topic of elder abuse in the nursing home setting. I anticipate a mixture of observational studies that examine the problem and sociological studies that posit causes for elder abuse in nursing homes. Statistical data will be drawn from reputable professional and/or government sources, such as the CDC and the U.S. National Institutes on Health’s National Institute on Aging.

References

DeHart, Dana, Webb, Jennifer, & Cornman, Carol. “Prevention of Elder Mistreatment in Nursing Homes: Competencies for Direct-Care Staff.” Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect 21.4 (Oct. 2009). Informaworld. Web. 27 September 2010.

Hillier, Susan, & Barrow, Georgia. Aging, the Individual, and Society. Belmont, CA: Thompson/Wadsworth, 2010. Print.

McCool, Jessica J., Jogerst, Gerald J., Daly, Jeanette M., & Xu, Yinghui. “Multidisciplinary Reports of Nursing Home Mistreatment.” Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 10.3 (March 2009). Science Direct. Web. 29 September 2010.

Natan, M. Ben, Lowenstein, A., & Eisikovitz, Z. “Psychosocial factors affecting elders’ maltreatment in long-term care facilities.” International Nursing Review 57.1 (March 2010): 113-120. Wiley-Blackwell Full Collection. Web. 25 September 2010.

National Center for Health Statistics. “Faststats: Nursing Home Care.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC. 15 April 2010. Web. 25 September 2010.

Solomon, Liao. “Elder Mistreatment Reporting: Differences in the Threshold of Reporting between Hospice and Palliative Care Professionals and Adult Protective Service.” Journal of Palliative Medicine 12.1 (Jan. 2009). Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 September 2010.

Ulsperger, Jason, Jayawardena, Kumari Maya, Bufalini, Erin, & Wiglesworth, Eileen. “Illusions of Affection: Bureaucratic Ritualization’s Relation to Emotional Abuse and Neglect in Nursing Homes.” Humanity and Society33.3 (August 2009). Wilson Web. Web. 27 September 2010.