Care-giving
by Angela Boone
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not onto your own
understandings, but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your
path” Proverbs 3:5-6 was one of my most
thought about scripture as a caregiver.
Care-giving
to me is one of the most humbling experiences someone can have. It showed me
how much another person may have to depend on someone else for
support. In my book, "My Father's Keeper, Speak Up, They're Not
Always Right" speaks to the spirit, mind, body and soul of a
person caring for a loved one or someone else loved one.
Through my own experiences and research as a caregiver, what I found to be
true and very sad is that, there are thousands of elderly people abused yearly.
The rise of elderly abuse is at a high and is becoming even higher, why,
because baby boomers are now a part of this group of individuals.
Abuse
becomes a full circle. In some cases, many children of abusive parents are now
the caregivers of their parents. This abuse passes from one generation to the
next generation, because this is how the family functioned.
Abusive treatment could also come from a caregiver at a nursing home or a
stranger who takes advantage financially or intimidates an elder. Like most
abuse statistics, if you find one on an elder abused, it will be an estimate.
Most abuse goes unreported and uncounted.
When
reading stories of abused elderly people, we can see that there is a common
trend. The likeliest victims are those who live in nursing home. Abuse of our
elderly need not always be physical; it can be mental, emotional or financial.
Many victims in nursing homes and hospital are often not given the minimum
required care and this is considered an abuse.
The
United States does have laws against elderly abuse but these have not stopped
stories of abused elderly surfacing frequently. It is in fact very sad that we
as a nation cannot protect our elderly citizens who were instrumental in
helping to build our country.
Until
some drastic measures are taken to protect our elderly citizens, we will keep
hearing and reading stories about elderly abuse.
Remember,
elder abuse can be in different forms. It can range from intimidation to
neglect to financial con. However, the most common types of elder abuse are
listed below: (Physical; emotional; sexual; abandoning and financial.
The need
for home health care has grown for many reasons. Medical science and technology
have improved. Some care that was once provided only in a hospital can now be
delivered at home.
Also, home health care is usually
less expensive and may be as effective as care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility, and just as
important, most patients and their families prefer to stay at home rather than
be in the hospital or a nursing home when their condition allows them to be
cared for at home.
Angela Boone is the author of several Christian books. Email us at: MyFathersKeeper@yahoo.com
Angela Boone is the author of several Christian books. Email us at: MyFathersKeeper@yahoo.com
© 2010 by Angela Boone. All rights reserved. First edition printed 2012
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