Introduction
This paper will focus on the geriatrics service line. Elderly patients are coming in at higher rates and the geriatric population is trending upward (Advisory Board, 2018). One problem the department is having is the identification of elder abuse among geriatric patients. Elder abuse has been defined as “a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person” (Jackson, 2016, p. 265). According to the World Health Organization (2002), elder abuse can take any one of or combination of forms: (a) physical abuse, (b) psychological abuse, (c) sexual abuse, (d) neglect, (e) abandonment, and (f) financial exploitation or theft. Recognizing and addressing elder abuse is important for the geriatrics service line because it will help to better serve the elderly patient and the geriatric community overall and it will reduce the risk of repeat issues with returning patients. The goal of the service line is to improve quality care, and that begins with recognizing signs of abuse and providing the necessary intervention to address these matters. As McNicoll (2017) points out, education is a primary tool in helping the geriatric service line to accomplish its task of providing top notch quality care to patients. This paper will show why elder abuse among geriatric patients in the geriatric service line is a problem and why it serves as a good research topic to help care providers better serve the population.

The Problem

This research project will focus on the ways to help care providers better cope with the stress of having to care for their elderly patients so as to reduce the perception or act of elder abuse among geriatrics in the service line. As Zeller and Lamb (2011) have shown, mindfulness training can assist care providers in coping with stress. It corresponds with what Baer (2003) has recommended as an important clinical intervention: mindfulness training can help care providers to be more “in the moment,” self-possessed, and patient-centered so as to give the elderly patient all the care he or she needs. Geriatrics require some of the most advanced care in medicine, and without high levels of patience and mindfulness among care providers throughout the service line, these patients can feel or experience extreme sensitivity and neglect—at least from their perspective. It is important for care providers of the geriatric service line to be able to put themselves in the shoes of their patients and understand their feelings, place, and needs so as to provide the type of empathy, sympathy, respect and quality of care required of this population.

How Research Could Help the Department

Research on the problem of abuse in the geriatric service line could help the department by providing education and awareness on ways in which geriatric patients often experience neglect or suffer abuse from care providers. Care givers in the geriatric service line have to be able to identify...…picture of the issues at stake.

Research Questions

Three research questions that could be asked to help solve the problem of identifying and addressing the issue of elder abuse in the geriatric service line at the hospital are:

1) What do the care givers in the geriatric service line at the hospital know about identifying elder abuse among geriatric patients?

2) Are the care givers in the geriatric service line at the hospital aware of what it means to “neglect” an elderly patient?—i.e., are they sensitive to and mindful of the needs of geriatric patients under their care?

3) Do the care givers in the geriatric service line at the hospital understand how to address the problem of elder abuse among their geriatric patients?—if no, what gaps in their understanding exist?—if yes, are they implementing this knowledge in their care practice?

Conclusion

The geriatric patients of the hospital require some of the most high level care in the health care industry, but researchers have shown that there is too little understanding among care providers in terms of diagnosing elder abuse. Elder abuse has been found to be under-reported and a substantial factor in repeated hospital visits. Care providers need to be better trained in identifying elder abuse and in making sure they themselves are not responsible for neglecting geriatric patients. This paper aims to research what care providers actually know about identifying elder abuse among their geriatric patients and what can be done to increase their knowledge.

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