Scholarly Journal: Conference on Caregiver abuse
Scholarly Activity Summary
Geriatric nursing care is a topic that has raised concerns over the past years. This article describes teachings from a conference held to teach young degree nurses about caregiver abuse. The first part describes the problem that was addressed in the meeting, caregiver abuse to the elderly. The second part outlines the reasons for abuse of the old to include increased workload, stress, and psychological problems. Solutions to the problems are provided in the last section of the article together with the opportunities captured. The last part talks about programme competencies that are covered in the conference.
Overview
Scholarly activities in nursing are crucial in expanding the knowledge of nurses in various fields of study. I attended a conference that addressed the problem of caregiver abuse in the United States as one of the trending problems in healthcare delivery. The target market for the meeting was degree nurses because they are part of an increasing population of nurses offering geriatric nursing care. The problem addressed in the conference targeted the elderly in nursing homes and other home-based care centers. I got to know the difficulties faced by the aged in the homes and the ways of efficiently solving the errors. The conference gave me a challenge of specializing in geriatric nursing in future. I came to understand that nursing is more of helping people at their hour of need than self-satisfaction.
Problem
The population of the elderly in the United States has increased over the past years leading to a massive increase of the aged in nursing homes. The increased numbers have eventually led to increased workload in the caregiving centers making geriatric nursing care tiresome. According to Gibbs and Mosqueda (2014), the care of the elderly is now a national priority, and the quality of care provided is under scrutiny through the use of specific measures. Among the problems that have faced geriatric health provision is caregiver abuse. The problem is attributed to the increased number of the elderly in both nursing homes and home-based care centers. The increase leads to a burnout thus decreasing the quality of service provision in the caregiving areas. The major problem observed in the regions is caregiver abuse. Stress has been identified to be the trigger of the problem, and it is quite evident that not all nurses are ready to provide care to the aged.
A nurse achieves many things by participating in conferences addressing the problems faced by the aged because that is where we are heading. The first benefit is the identification of the categories of abuse present in the elderly. Through the knowledge gained, the nurse can avoid the irrelevant caregiving techniques. Student nurses are likely to change the direction of geriatric nursing through such conferences. Opening up and exposure is achieved thus encouraging many to practice geriatric nursing.
Solution
Individuals who provide geriatric care in the United States are few with an estimate of 30% caregivers offering home-based care. Factors such as substance abuse or financial constraints can lead to caregiver abuse of the elderly in both institutional and residential areas (Gibbs and Mosqueda, 2014). Stress from work and demands on care provision can cause some to suffer from anxiety and psychological disorders. Therefore, the caregivers see the elderly as a burden and begin to resent them when help is needed. The first remedy is joining social groups found in online platforms where members discuss their problems. Professional help can help rectify the negative feelings towards the elderly. Counseling sessions for those with psychological problems have been found to be useful in solving the problem. The last resort in caregiver abuse to the elderly is legal action.
Opportunity
The conference aims at capturing the young nurses who are pursuing their degree courses to venture into geriatric nursing. The message about geriatric care was put across in a clear and precise manner. From the teachings offered, I believe that many people changed their minds on geriatric care and those who had similar problems were assisted. The major objective covered was how to prevent abuse by caregivers to the elderly.
Programme Competencies Addressed
- Ethical considerations in healthcare. The moral principles of justice and non-maleficence were covered as part of care delivery to the elderly.
- Population health concerns. The topic discussed addressed the elderly, and the ways of preventing abuse to the aged were covered.
- Intraprofessional collaboration. The counseling professionals and state legislators were among the departments discussed to help in ending caregiver abuse.
References
Gibbs, L., & Mosqueda, L. A. (2014). Medical implications of elder abuse and neglect.
