30 hours ago · Lack of knowledge - In a lot of cases, elderly patients who are victims of abuse don’t report the abuse incident(s) because they simply don’t know who to tell or who to ask for help. This can be remedied by the caregiver when they give the patient the information they need to feel empowered and able to communicate about abuse incidents. >> Go To The Portal
The fact that it is often difficult to decide whether to report suspected abuse does not negate one's professional and legal responsibility to protect children by doing so. Physicians are not responsible for determining whether maltreatment occurred, only for reporting reasonable suspicion.
Patients in your exam room may be experiencing one of a number of forms of abuse—domestic violence, human trafficking or other violence—and identifying those being abused can sometimes be tough.
As mandated, they are trained to identify signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect and are required by law to report their findings. Failure to do so may result in discipline by the board of nursing, discipline by their employer, and possible legal action taken against them.
Photographs, videos, and any other evidence of the abuse are all valuable when reporting a patient abuse incident. Mandated reporters (and other reporters of abuse) remain anonymous, so the more information you can provide, the better. When a patient abuse case is reported, the case goes through 4 stages.
Culture shapes the way individuals experience childhood and how they raise their children. Behaviors that are considered abusive in one culture, such as corporal punishment or harsh verbal discipline, may be considered acceptable in another.
1. An organizational culture in which leaders fail in their responsibility of due diligence toward moral and ethical concerns.
Not letting someone observe the dietary or dress customs of their faith, using racial slurs, threatening to 'out' someone as LGBQ/T if their friends and family don't know, or isolating someone who doesn't speak the dominant language where they live – all of these are examples of cultural abuse.
Abuse culture is the framework of violence that we live in, and includes rape culture. It permeates and colors every aspect of our world, culture, dynamics, institutions, language and interactions.
Defining Cultural Sensitivity. Cultural Sensitivity is defined as: a) Being aware that cultural differences and similarities between people exist without assigning them a value – positive or negative, better or worse, right or wrong.
"Cultural competency means being aware of your own cultural beliefs and values and how these may be different from other cultures—including being able to learn about and honor the different cultures of those you work with."
belittling the victim's spiritual or cultural worth, beliefs or practices. violating or preventing the victim's spiritual or cultural practices. denying the victim access to their spiritual or cultural community. causing the victim to transgress spiritual or cultural obligations or prohibitions.
Discrimination is abuse that focuses on a difference or perceived difference. This may involve race, gender, disability, or any of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act. Examples of discriminatory abuse might involve harassment, slurs, or similar treatment based on the difference or perceived difference.
The cultures of systems can erect barriers to services and resources, where race and gender bias compromise access to justice. Culture influences how gender violence is viewed: minimized by society as an accidental problem, used as a convenient explanation by communities, or linked to stereotyping by systems.
'Neglect' means negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child, including the failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical treatment, or supervision. Sexual Abuse/Exploitation.
Abusive behaviour can take many forms. It can include being violent or aggressive, making threats, controlling someone's behaviour, putting them down, verbally abusing them, taking or keeping money from them and putting pressure on someone to have sex or do things they don't feel comfortable with.
Types of abuse include; physical, sexual, psychological, verbal, emotional and mental, financial and spiritual.
Mandated reporters have to report patient abuse within 24 hours of witnessing the reportable incident, and must be able to provide the following information:
Here are some of the main reasons why elderly patients might not report their abuse to someone trustworthy who can help: ● Embarrassment - Some forms of abuse (such as sexual abuse) come along with shame on the part of the victim, and reporting the abuse may be uncomfortable.
This type of abuse includes shoving, hitting, or the inappropriate use of chemical or physical restraints.
What are signs of patient abuse? One of the hallmark signs of elder abuse is a sudden change in an elderly patient’s physical, mental, or financial well-being. Often the change is strange and inexplicable, but the specific signs that indicate an elder might be experiencing abuse tend to vary from victim-to-victim.
As a caregiver, it’s important to develop rapport with patients so that they feel comfortable disclosing information to you about things like abuse. As a caregiver, you should know the most common types of abuse that commonly occur and be able to recognize signs that an elder is being abused.
But treatment that includes humiliation, ridicule, blaming, or scapegoating are all forms of emotional abuse. Abusers will use emotional tactics such as intimidation, threats, or yelling to control the elder or they may ignore the elderly patient completely or isolate him or her from their friends or family.
If you discover potential signs of abuse, consider the predisposing risk factors that can make patients more vulnerable to corroborate your hunch. With a little rapport, some patients will openly discuss the abuse they’re experiencing with their caregiver.
A failure to report child abuse can lead to severe consequences including a fine or time in prison for the reporter. Beyond the legal ramifications of a failure to report, not doing this crucial duty can lead to the injury or even the death of the child.
The only state that doesn't specify a penalty for failing to report suspected abuse is Wyoming. 20 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Island , and the Virgin Islands specify the penalties for a failure to report.
The Frightening Consequences of a Mandated Reporter Failing to Report. Almost Every State Imposes a Penalty. Approximately 49 states impose a penalty for failure to report child abuse for mandated reporters, as well as the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Agencies in Maryland: Agencies participating in a child abuse or neglect investigation that have reason to suspect a health care worker, police officer, or educator has failed to report must file a complaint with the appropriate licensing authority.
Higher Education in Florida: Universities may face a fine of up to $1 million dollars for failure to report or for preventing any person from reporting an instance of abuse committed on the property or an event sponsored by the institution.
California and Maryland: Penalties may be harsher when the failure to report leads to death or bodily injury. Louisiana: When the case involves sexual abuse or serious injury. Delaware and Virginia: When it’s a second or subsequent failure. Vermont: When the reporter willfully fails to report with the intent to conceal.
Arizona: A failure to report may be upgraded to a felony in Arizona if it deals with a serious offense such as prostitution or incest. Minnesota: In Minnesota, the charge may be upgraded if a child dies because of a lack of medical care.
If Carly had younger siblings living with her father, for instance, she might need to report the abuse in order to protect the children. If Carly lived in a state that legally required social workers to report past abuse ...
On balance, given the facts of the case as interpreted by Gretchen, she decides to permit Carly to decide whether or not to report the abuse. This course of action not only respects Carly’s rights to self-determination and privacy, but also affords Gretchen with the opportunity of continuing to work with Carly.
Sexual misconduct is the most under-reported crime because victims’ accounts are often scrutinized to the point of exhaustion and there is a long history of women not being believed when they attempted to report a sexual violation.
Male and female victims are afraid of the stigma connected to sexual assault. They are afraid of it getting out and hurting their reputation. This is especially true of adolescents, who focus on their reputation obsessively. And there is good reason for them to be concerned.
As Matt Atkinson wrote in his book, Resurrection After Rape: A Guide to Transforming from Victim to Survivor , “Self-blame is by far, the most devastating after effect of being sexually violated. This is particularly true for former victims of child sexual abuse and adult victims of sexual assault.
In fact, our entire culture is guilty of victim blaming. At its core, this tendency to blame the victim comes from our cultural intolerance of weakness in any form. We can’t tolerate weakness in others because it reminds us of our own weakness and vulnerability.
During a rape, temporary paralysis is very common; in fact, it occurs in up to 88 percent of rape victims. If the victim did not fight back or scream during the assault, she or he needs to stop berating and chastising themselves. And we need to stop blaming them.
Eight out of ten victims know their rapist and because of this, many are afraid that if they report it to the authorities their perpetrator will retaliate in some way. In addition, rapists who are strangers often threaten to kill their victim if she reports the sexual assault.
They suffer from troubling flashbacks, nightmares and difficulty sleeping, depression, anxiety, and have difficulties with issues such as trust and low self-esteem. Their sexuality suffers, either causing them to have difficulty engaging in the sexual act or the other extreme, to become promiscuous.
The level of suspicion required to report suspected abuse is not clearly defined. But, with the knowledge that physicians tend to underreport suspected abuse, the following recommendations are made to increase physicians' confidence in making appropriate reports: 1 Obtain continuing education regarding child maltreatment. Routinely seeking out local and national opportunities for continuing education related to child abuse and neglect can help you maintain a current understanding of child maltreatment. 2 Know reporting laws. Familiarizing yourself with the reporting laws and to whom reports should be made in your state (i.e., CPS or law enforcement) can lessen the ambiguity in the reporting process. 3 Consult with colleagues. Establishing collaborative relationships with colleagues to consult with regarding difficult cases can assist in the decision-making process. Physicians in private practice who do not have colleagues readily available may want to create a referral process with local agencies that have teams who make these decisions. 4 Know your local CPS staff. Forming relationships with your local CPS staff members can facilitate an open line of communication and establish a better sense of the guidelines used by the agency.
The number of children who are maltreated annually in the United States is difficult to document because: (1) definitions vary across tribal, state, and federal jurisdictions; (2) the standards and methods of collecting data vary considerably; and (3) many cases go unrecognized and unreported [5].
Physicians reported that discussing the case with a knowledgeable colleague helped them decide whether or not to report suspicious injuries. The clinician's past experiences with CPS. Clinicians who believed that CPS involvement would result in a negative outcome for the child or family were less likely to report.
Physical abuse is any physical injury to a child that is not accidental and may involve, but is not limited to, hitting, slapping, beating, biting, burning, shaking, ...
Emotional and psychological abuse exposes a child frequently and repeatedly to behaviors that impact his or her psychological well-being, including blaming, threatening, yelling at, belittling, humiliating, name calling, pointing out faults, withholding emotional support and affection, and ignoring a child. In some cases, exposure ...
In sexual abuse, an adult or older child engages a child in sexual activities such as fondling, intercourse, oral-genital stimulation, sodomy, observing sexual acts, viewing adult genitals, and looking at, watching, or engaging in pornography.
Such instances present physicians with difficult decisions. It is not the physician's responsibility to determine the intent of the parent or caregiver, or whether abuse or neglect occurred.
Nurses should provide a calm, comforting environment and approach the patient with care and concern. A complete head-to-toe examination should take place, looking for physical signs of abuse. A chaperone or witness should be present if possible as well.
As mandated, they are trained to identify signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect and are required by law to report their findings. Failure to do so may result in discipline by the board of nursing, discipline by their employer, and possible legal action taken against them. If a nurse suspects abuse or neglect, they should first report it ...
Employers are typically clear with outlining requirements for their workers, but nurses have a responsibility to know what to do in case they care for a victim of abuse.
The nurse should notify law enforcement as soon as possible, while the victim is still in the care area. However, this depends on the victim and type of abuse. Adults who are alert and oriented and capable of their decision-making can choose not to report on their own and opt to leave. Depending on the state, nurses may be required ...
While not required by law, nurses should also offer to connect victims of abuse to counseling services. Many times, victims fall into a cycle of abuse which is difficult to escape.
The predominant reason why nursing homes can be reluctant to report abuse externally seems to be the fear-inducing nature of the safeguarding response. Interviewees explained how this response tends to presume guilt, and assume allegations of abuse are true before anything is proven.
Owners and managers thought these two characteristics of safeguarding responses deterred people from reporting incidents and were driving abuse further “underground”.
The outcomes of an empirical research study (Moore, 2017) indicate that abuse is far from being always reported, internally or externally, and that it is sometimes deliberately concealed from outsiders such as relatives and external agencies.
Caring for people in care homes is not just about physical work. There is a lot of physical work but care interventions can be used as a way of socialisation too. The extra time used like this is easily clawed back by having a more alert and happier patient to work with.
An empirical research study found that abuse in nursing homes is not always reported, and sometimes it is deliberately concealed. Nursing and care staff replying anonymously to a questionnaire revealed that they were often under pressure to keep quiet about abuse.
Five misconceptions about reporting abuse, neglect or exploitation in hospice. Most who work in hospice know that social workers are mandated to make reports to a protective agency when they perceive abuse, neglect and exploitation of children, the elderly and people with disabilities. But many hospice workers, in my experience, ...
The truth: If you suspect an elder or disabled individual is being abused, neglected or exploited, your state most likely requires you to report, even if your team prefers not to.
But many hospice workers, in my experience, are unsure of how the process works and operate under several misconceptions. Because such misconceptions can lead to disagreements among team members and limit the effectiveness of reports, a good understanding of reporting policy can make your work experience more positive, ...
They can. If you report suspicions about a family’s treatment of a patient, they may take the patient off your agency’s service. If you report suspicions that nursing home staff are mistreating or neglecting a patient, the facility might retaliate by refusing to let your agency in.
“If a therapist fails to take reasonable steps to protect the intended victim from harm, he or she may be liable to the intended victim or his family if the patient acts on the threat ,” Reischer said.
“Clients should not withhold anything from their therapist, because the therapist is only obligated to report situations in which they feel that another individual, whether it be the client or someone else, is at risk,” said Sophia Reed, a nationally certified counselor and transformation coach.
A therapist may be forced to report information disclosed by the patient if a patient reveals their intent to harm someone else. However, this is not as simple as a patient saying simply they “would like to kill someone,” according to Jessica Nicolosi, a clinical psychologist in Rockland County, New York. There has to be intent plus a specific identifiable party who may be threatened.
For instance, Reed noted that even if a wife is cheating on her husband and they are going through a divorce, the therapist has no legal obligation whatsoever to disclose that information in court. The last thing a therapist wants to do is defy their patient’s trust.
“If a client experienced child abuse but is now 18 years of age then the therapist is not required to make a child abuse report, unless the abuser is currently abusing other minors,” Mayo said.