There were apparent abusive situations at Sparrow’s Home. The following responses would describe the abusive situation:
Who is committing abuse: From the situations that were noted, the person committing physical and verbal abuse is Kim, the healthcare aid. Likewise, Janet, the supervisor, could also be unintentionally or indirectly committing abuse through denying that her friend and colleague, Kim, is committing these abusive behaviors, possibly with previous knowledge and awareness.
Who must report: The person who must report these abusive behaviors are those who get to witness them (Courtney), the elders themselves, other guests or family members who witness any kind of abusive behavior being subjected to any of the elders or staff, for that matter.
“State Directory of Helplines, Hotlines, and Elder Abuse Prevention Resources - (National Center on Elder Abuse)
Elder abuse helplines and hotlines:
US: 1-800-677-1116 (Eldercare Locator).
UK: 080 8808 8141 (Action on Elder Abuse).
Australia: 1300 651 192 (Elder Abuse Prevention Unit).
South Africa: 0800 333 231 (Age In Action).
Canada: 310 1818 or visit Alberta Elder Abuse for links to local resources” (Robinson,
Saisan, & Segal, 2016, p. 1).
What needs to be reported: Specific details of the observed abusive behavior should be reported; including the type of abuse, who committed it, in what capacity, the date and time, as well as other mitigating information.
Finally, Courtney has partially fulfilled her ethical and legal obligations as a healthcare provider by reporting the incidences of suspected abuse only to Janet. As learned, the abusive behavior should be reported to the APS, which is more authorized to take action on the report. By reporting only to Janet, the abusive behavior would not be addressed; since Janet is biased and take sides with Kim (the abuser). Therefore, if no action has been made and where abuse is known to be apparent, Courtney needs to report these incidences to the APS to fully fulfill her ethical and legal obligations as a healthcare provider.
Reference
Robinson, L., Saisan, J., & Segal, J. (2016, June). Elder Abuse and Neglect. Retrieved from helpguide.org: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/elder-abuse-and-neglect.htm
