Problem
Pick one of the cases in writing an assessment plan for these situations of Elder Abuse. Remember it can be very difficult to prove abuse and neglect.
Case I
An adult son Jason has gone to live back with his mother Mrs. H. She has been widowed for 10 years age 83 and has been living alone. After her son moves in with her the neighbors notice that Mrs. H. has lost weight and looks sad and is disheveled. One day Mrs. H confides in one of the neighbors that since her son has moved in with her, he takes money from her pocketbook. He has become violent when she confronts him and would throw things. He is now insisting that she hand over her signed Social Security checks to him. The neighbors have noticed many empty bottles of alcohol in the trash. The neighbors contact the local area agency on aging.
Case II
Mr. G. age 78 complains frequently of pain. His physician is confused as she has continued to increase his dosage of methadone to control the pain. She is reluctant to increase it any further and contacts the family to bring in his medication, she states that she wants to check for drug interaction to see if that is causing a problem with the efficiency of the pain medication. The family is reluctant but finally agrees. The physician contacts social services when she sees that the methadone tablets have been changed with over-the-counter vitamins that look the same as the pain medication due to Mr. G's limited eyesight. The physician also finds out that Mr. G's niece has been living with him in exchange for helping with some of his household chores.