Benchmark Assignment—Administration and Protection

Benchmark Assignment—Administration and Protection

LTC/328

Introduction

In this letter I will be addressing an article written in my local newspaper about crimes and the harms perpetrated against the older population and the lack of protection for many of them. This is a major problem because in most cases these are our fathers, and grandfathers who end up being on the other end of the assault, a solution for this problem is imminent. The older population should be able to walk the streets and fell safe just as much as anyone else. Just because they are old in age does not and should not make them targets for certain people to take advantage of.

Analyze the responsibilities of individuals for protecting the rights of older adults.

There are several individuals responsible for protecting the rights of older adults the first in line is always law enforcement, with these specific crimes rising law enforcement officers should have a higher alert for these communities where a majority of older people live. I also believe we should be a little bit more technological advanced in coming up with some type of device that would be able to be pressed in case of an emergency and have authorities on site immediately. This would also cut down the amount of crimes committed against the older people. Families are the back bone to helping older people as they age so I believe that they should also be responsible in tracking the safety. If your grandparent needs to go to the store at times when they would normally walk, then this would be a good time to volunteer and drive them to the store to decrease any chances of them being attacked on the way there. I don’t think this only pertains to the immediate family but everyone in the family because they always say it takes a village to raise kids but it also takes a village to keep them alive once they do get older in age. It is basically the cycle of life. I do not ever think there should be time where family should not intervene because like I said it takes a village to ensure their safety. I also think complete strangers should get involved if they see a crime happening to an older person in front of them. I don’t think they should be able to just keep walking and hope nothing to serious happens. It should be held against them if they do see something happening and they fail to step in and try to help.

Compare differences of private, nonprofit, and public entities

According to Singh (2016), Private entities are typically ran by an individual and all legal issues would fall solely on that individual if anything was to happen. These can be for example if a personal security guard was hired to protect the older person. Services provided can be protection, care taker, and chef or maid. Most private securities companies require you to have some type of certification in order to carry a concealed weapon. Services provided can vary it all just depends on the agency and what type of services is needed at that point and time. When trying to get certification it depends on the client and what type of protection he or she needs. But if a firearm needs to be carried going through the proper protocol is extremely important. Background test and screening has to be done in order to be cleared for a firearm with that type of certification a firearm will be being carried illegally. This also goes hand and hand with accreditation and the potential on not being cleared for certification.

Analyze the prevalence of abuse against the aging population

The prevalence of abuse within the aging population is growing dramatically mainly because society sees these individual as prey. Most criminals like to prey on the weak and also older people have already saved up for retirement so they understand that money is often times not an issue with them. So now in cities where the crime rate is increasing high these are the people that are targeted and are taken advantage of, for one reason and one reason only, and the only way to stop them to have law enforcement step in and take charge or arm the aging individuals which is probably not the best idea (National Council on Aging, 2018).

Evaluate the effects of fraud on the aging population and the long-term care system.

In most cases the aging population is not up to date on the latest technology and this means that they can be taken advantage of because people understand that they don’t know the simple things. That’s why cold calls are made to them telling them to make a deposit in a bank account because of overdraft fees or telling them they owe money for some outrageous reason and most times they don’t have the means to cross reference the especially if there is not any other family involved they just want to do the right thing which in most cases is the wrong thing. Simply by giving out their bank information over the phone or social security number over the phone they are now prone to just about any type of fraud because they have given the criminals access to their personal information otherwise they would not have. There should be some type of gate keeper that can handle their personal information as far bank accounts and loans or any other type of finance issues that may arise while they are in someone’s care. I understand there is no way to completely eliminate the problem but this definitely a way to kind of slow the progression down.

Analyze Elder Law Services.

Elder law services relate to planning for the future something that not all aging individuals are doing nowadays. For example if the individual has a lot of assets then they should be planning for estate planning which would determine to who and to where their assets would go. Also a probate would be in place in there was no will in place so that the assets could be distributed to the correct people. If none of this stuff is in place then you are now leaving it in the hands of the government to make the decision on behalf of the elder person which in most cases will not be the way it was intended in the first place. These services are fairly easy to obtain and any lawyer can get the ball rolling this is also a service that should be provided by the primary care physician depending on the health and life expectancy of the individual.

Determine the role of advocacy in protecting the rights of older adults.

The different type of advocacy services that are offered to older adults are office consultation, ongoing support and supervision, these services are huge because they all the aging adult to have a peace of mind and not have to worry about certain things. Another great service that is offered is bill paying which would stop a lot of the fraud from happening because the aging adult would not be dealing with the people on the telephone personally but there would be a third party in place to take care of that business. I think these services would be extremely effective because it takes the pressure off of the aging adult and allows them to just focus on the important things in life especially if they are not going to be living much longer (Health and Aged Care, n.d.).

Conclusion

In conclusion protecting the aging population is at the forefront and the most important thing right now. If we cannot protect them then our future is not as bright as it should be. At some point in life we are all going to grow and need some to take care of us so while we are young we need to be doing the same of the current aging population.

References

Age Action. (2018). Human Rights and Older People. Retrieved from https://www.ageaction.ie/how-we-can-help/campaigning-policy/human-rights-and-older-people

Amanda J. Lehning & Michael J. Austin (2010) Long-Term Care in the United States: Policy Themes and Promising Practices, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 53:1, 43-63, DOI: 10.1080/01634370903361979 Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/01634370903361979

Health and Aged Care. (n.d.). Wha is Advocacy?. Retrieved from http://www.agedrights.asn.au/rights/whatis.html

National Council on Aging. (2018). What is elder abuse?. Retrieved from https://www.ncoa.org/public-policy-action/elder-justice/elder-abuse-facts/

Singh, D. A. (2016). Effective management of long-term care facilities (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.