Running head: NEED FOR SENIOR CARE PROVIDERS

The Essential Need for Encouraging Senior Care Providers

Sarah L. Haid
sarahhaid@yahoo.com
Waxahachie Global High School
December 2014

ESSENTIAL NEED FOR SENIOR CARE

Table of Contents
Abstract..3
Introduction4
Elder Abuse and Neglect.5
Physical Abuse..5
Emotional Abuse...5
Nonverbal Abuse..5
Deadly Emotions of Caregiving..6
Guilt.6
Resentment6
Anger..7
Worry..7
Loneliness..7
Figure 1. Senior Activities7
Grief....8
Defensiveness...8
Why Help...8
Conclusion.9
References.10-11
Appendix: Statistical Data.......12-13

ESSENTIAL NEED FOR SENIOR CARE

Abstract
The elderly population is increasing, and the need for senior care providers are
increasing too. Statistics show that the population is gradually increasing due to the
baby boomers of America. It is of upmost importance that these seniors are not only
cared for, but cared for with love. As members of the baby boom generation get older
and reach retirement age, they present an increasing challenge and opportunity for
health care, which in turn means the need is now, and it needs to be done effectively
(Barr, 2014). Seniors undergo a lot of different emotions in this stage of their life, and
sometimes it can be overwhelming. As they start to make the decision of where they are
going to live when they get older, they need the support and love from their family
members, and the care providers that are working there. Senior care may fall short of
what they deserve if change doesnt happen soon (Senior Care, 2014). The abuse and
neglect that seniors receive produce outcomes that are hard to believe, especially for
someone as old as they are (65 and older). The need for encouraging senior care
providers is necessary, and increasing. Now is the time to change the way we act
towards the older crowd, and better understand their feelings to satisfy their needs for
improved living.
Keywords: senior care providers, neglect, elderly, abuse

ESSENTIAL NEED FOR SENIOR CARE

The Essential Need for Encouraging Senior Care Providers

Introduction
James J. Pirkl (2009) proposed that never has our planet contained so many
older people. The baby boomers from 1946 to 1964 are becoming older, and they are
now increasing the population of the elderly. In 2014, the percentage of elderly people
ages 65 and older makes up 13% of the overall population, including a total of 40.3
million people (Trends and Statistics, 2014). With the increasing numbers, this in turn
requires more senior care providers who are willing to devote their emotion towards the
seniors, (See Appendix for demographic information).
Most seniors are put into nursing homes or assisted living by relatives that dont
have the skills, equipment, and resources to care for them. I interviewed a resident at
Whiterock Court (independent or assisted senior living) who said she was not forced.
Luckily, moving to Whiterock Court was her own decision since her daughter, who she
lived with previously, was moving to Houston, and she has friends where she lives now
(A. Gibboney, personal communication, November 11, 2014).
Elder Abuse and Neglect
Seniors can undergo three different types of abuse: physical, emotional, and
sometimes even sexual abuse.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse to elders is non-accidental use of force against an elderly person that
results in physical pain, injury, or impairment (Robinson et al., 2014). Another type of
physical assault is the use of drugs, restraints, or confinement (Robinson et al., 2014).

ESSENTIAL NEED FOR SENIOR CARE

Emotional Abuse
As far as emotional abuse, others can speak and treat elderly persons that will in turn
cause pain or distress. The verbal forms of emotional elder abuse are: intimidation
through yelling or threats, humiliation and ridicule, habitual blaming or scapegoating
(Robinson et al., 2014).
Nonverbal Abuse
Nonverbal psychological elder abuse involves: ignoring the elderly person, isolating an
elder from friends or activities, or terrorizing or menacing the elderly person (Robinson
et al., 2014).
A case of nonverbal abuse took place at the Holiday Retirement at Whiterock Court in
Dallas. In their Holiday World Monthly, they describe an incident where a resident fell
in the middle of the dining room and couldnt get back up. While waiting for EMS to
arrive, other residents began to gather and gawk, making the woman who fell feel
uncomfortable and embarrassed (Lying Down on the Job, 2014). Just imagine how
that made her feel.
Then, there is neglect, which can be done intentionally or unintentionally. In 2002, one
study interviewing 2,000 nursing home residents reported that 44% said they had been
abused and 95% said they had been neglected or seen another resident neglected
(Broyles, 2000). Caregivers can fail to fulfill some caretaking tasks, which constitutes
more than half of all reported cases or elder abuse (Robinson et al., 2014). (See
Appendix for demographic information).
Deadly Emotions of Caregiving

ESSENTIAL NEED FOR SENIOR CARE

It is said that seniors can take on a lot of emotions as they begin their elderly
years (65 and older). Most people dont want to grow old, and that is a given, so for
most, it is a hard adapting factor. According to Paula Scott (2014), there are seven
deadly emotions of caregiving, with the first being guilt.
Guilt
Guilt can be caused from telling yourself that youre doing something wrong or saying
the wrong thing. If an elderly has dementia, caregivers may get frustrated at them and
lose their temper, which can cause them to feel guilty.
Resentment
The second emotion she said is resentment (Scott, 2014). A lot of the times, caregivers
will feel all of the pressure to take full responsibility of taking care of the elderly, and
they feel resented by others (family members) that arent there to help them. The
person feeling cared for can also have this feeling because they feel like the
caregivers life feels hijacked by responsibility and out of his or her own control (Scott,
2014).
Anger
The third emotion is anger, which can be caused from high blood pressure, heart attack
and heart disease, digestive-tract disorders, and headaches (Scott, 2014). Anger is
built up with the frustrating factors of the elders not being able to do all of the activities
they used to and have to have someone help them with this.
Worry

ESSENTIAL NEED FOR SENIOR CARE

The fourth emotion is worry, which is linked to the feeling of love and wanting whats
best for your elder (Scott, 2014).
Loneliness
Loneliness can come from the feeling of friends and loved ones backing away, which
makes the elderly feel unwanted (Scott, 2014). In
nursing homes, though, like at
Whiterock Court, they keep the seniors
interactive. On the figure to the right,
Figure 1 shows seniors being interactive in

nursing home. Annette Gibboney, who lives

Figure 1. Senior Activities
there, said they have at least four or five activities daily, and they alternate everyday (A.
Gibboney, personal communication, November 11, 2014). She said they also keep it
interesting by taking their residents on a mystery trip every Monday, (A. Gibboney,
person communication, November 11, 2014).
Grief
Grief is usually linked to death, but if your elderly is diagnosed with a terminal illness,
the grief may begin there (Scott, 2014). As they live the last days of their life depression
starts to become very serious.
Defensiveness
Lastly, defensiveness occurs when the caregivers will try to assist the patients, but the
patients do not want the care they are giving them (Scott, 2014). Most of the time

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defensiveness will take place during meal time or when the nurses give the patients
their medication.
Why Help
As the senior population is increasing they need the support and love of family
members more than ever (Senior Care, 2014). As seniors lose their ability to talk, think,
and act normally, they need assistance to gain back these skills, or improve. After
admitting them into a nursing home, senior assisted care, or independent living, they
still need the encouragement and support from a loved one or a close individual to keep
them going. As of today, 80 percent of older Americans prefer to stay at home as they
age; this is why we need to make elders feel as comfortable as possible when they are
at the point to where they need to be put into a home (Senior Care, 2014). As a senior
reaches the 65 or older age, they most definitely do not lose their individuality. They are
still a person with emotions, feelings, and thoughts. A research by Dong X., Simon M,
Medes de Leon C.,
Fulmer T., Beck T., & Hebert L., concluded, Elders who experienced abuse, even
modest abuse, had a 300% higher risk of death when compared to those who had not
been abused (2009). They have a lot to decide: where they are going to live, do they
have good eating plans, are the nurses helpful, do they offer senior activities, etc. Then,
once they have chosen the living conditions that best fits their needs and medical
expenses, providers need to make the commitment to spend time with the elderly and
make them feel involved just as they were when they were younger.
Conclusion

ESSENTIAL NEED FOR SENIOR CARE

In conclusion, all of the effort put into spending time with the elderly is not easy; it
requires sacrifice, money, and effort. It not only involves one person being there to care
for the elder, it takes a whole familys support and love. Annette Gibboney said that she
decided to pick living under independent living services versus alone because of the
services they offered: three cooked meals a day, free transportation, activities, and
friendly people (A. Gibboney, personal communication, November 11, 2014). The need
for care providers and homes are going to increase, and there must be an increase in
support for elders. Now is the time to treat seniors how they should really be treated
with fair decisions, and loving care. They may not know what is always right for them, so
with the help from the ones they love, they can enjoy the last years of their life and
make the best of every moment to improve the emotions they carry.

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10

References
Barr, P. (2014, January 14). The boomer challenge. Retrieved from
http://www.hhnmag.com/display/HHN-newsarticle.dhtml?dcrPath=/templatedata/HF
_Common/NewsArticle/data/HHN/Magazine/2014/Jan/cover-story-baby-boomers
Broyles, K. (2000). Statistics/Data: Abuse in Nursing Homes and other Long Term Care
Facilities. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved November 8,
2014, from www.ncea.aoa.gov/Library/Data/#
Dong X, Simon M, Mendes de Leon C, Fulmer T, Beck T, Hebert L, et al. (2009) Elder
self-neglect and abuse and mortality risk in a community-dwelling population.
Journal of the American Medical Association, 302(5), 517-526.
Gibboney, A. (2014, November 11). Telephone interview.
Pirkl, J. J. (2009). The Demographics of Aging Transgenerational Design Matters.
Retrieved November 7, 2014, from Transgenerational.org
Robinson, L., Saisan, J., MSW, & Segal, J. (2014, October). Elder Abuse & Neglect.
Helpguide.org. Retrieved November 7, 2014, from helpguide.org
Scott, P. S. (2014). The 7 Deadly Emotions of Caregiving. Caring.com. Retrieved
November 6, 2014, from https://www.caring.com/articles/7-deadly-emotions-ofcaregiving?page=4
Span, P. (2012, July 5). New Numbers on Elder Care. The New York Times. Retrieved
from http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/new-numbers-on-eldercare/?_r=0

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Senior Care is a Family Issue. (2014) Comfort Keepers. Retrieved November 6, 2014,
from www.comfortkeepers.com/home/info-center/senior-care-is-a-family-issue
Trends and statistics relating to U.S. seniors, elderly: Census Bureau 2014 report.
(2014, August 14). Journalists Resource. Retrieved from
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/
Whiterock Court. (2014, July 28). Holiday World Monthly [pamphlet]. N.P.: n.p.

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Appendix: Statistical Data

The importance of knowing how many elderly people take up the population of America
reflects the knowledge of importance of senior care providers and who make up those
senior care providers. Also, what tasks these senior care providers do and fulfill.

Figure A1. Demographic Information of Eldercare Providers. This figure shows the
percentage of eldercare that there is, and who those eldercare people consist of.

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Figure A2. Demographic Information for Time Spent by Eldercare. This figure shows
what eldercare providers spend their time doing with the elders.

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