Introduction
It is important to note that elder abuse is a severe problem faced by people worldwide. Its main types are identified to detect them in time and reduce the suffering of the elderly. However, recently, euthanasia and assisted suicide have become popular and easy to implement, as they are considered more humane ways of suicide. However, there are still major problems with the appropriateness of artificially terminating human life. Thus, it is essential to explain the seven types of elder abuse and to indicate my ethical approaches to euthanasia, assisted suicide, and suicide.
The Seven Types of Elder Abuse
The National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) defines these seven types of abuse as physical, psychological, sexual, financial, neglect, self-neglect, and abandonment. The first type is physical violence, the use of physical force that causes bodily harm, physical pain, or deterioration of the condition (Weissberger et al., 2020). It consists of hitting, shaking, shaking, beating, beating, restraining, force-feeding, and self-administration of drugs. The second kind is psychological violence, namely the infliction of mental or emotional suffering, humiliation, or isolation by means of verbal or non-verbal actions (Weissberger et al., 2020). This includes the use of threatening phrases, insults, harsh commands, or, on the contrary, maintaining a tense silence and ignoring the personality of the old person.
The next type of cruel behavior with people of abducted age is sexual abuse. Accordingly, it is sexual contact of any kind with an elderly person without their consent. There is also financial abuse, which is both exploitation and inattention to the older person’s property or money (Weissberger et al., 2020). This can be fraud and pressure on the person to take possession of the assets, property, and management of the individual’s money.
The fifth type of abuse is neglect, which is the inability to ensure the older person’s fundamental requirements, such as housing, clothes, medical care, or defense against damage. There is also self-neglect, which means that the elderly cannot perform essential self-care tasks, resulting in severe physical or mental damage (Weissberger et al., 2020). Finally, the seventh type is abandonment, which means that older people do not receive help from the person who is obliged to give it.
Euthanasia, Suicide and Assisted Suicide
I consider euthanasia a complex topic that raises many ethical, moral, and legal issues. Although most people argue that it is a beneficent way to end the suffering of people with a terminal illness, I believe that it contradicts the value of the sanctity of life. In addition, the topic of suicide raises many ethical and moral matters (Calati et al., 2021). Suicide is often perceived as a personal choice, but I believe that it is a cry for help. Therefore, it is critical to help individuals overcome the consequences of a mental health disorder or to cope with external factors that lead them to commit suicide.
Meanwhile, I think that assisted suicide also raises a lot of ethical dilemmas because it aims to reduce the suffering of the sick person. Nevertheless, I believe that injecting a lethal drug into the patient’s own body is a difficult step for them and harms their emotional state (Calati et al., 2021). In general, I consider it important to take into account a person’s autonomy, the context of the situation, quality of life, and potential impact on others. However, these subjects need to be approached with sensitivity and empathy, and the legal and ethical implications of each decision need to be considered.
Conclusion
In summary, elder abuse takes many forms, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, self-neglect, sexual abuse, and abandonment. The ethical dilemmas and considerations regarding euthanasia, suicide and assisted suicide are complex and wide-ranging. I think that when making decisions about the care of people who are terminally ill, it is essential to consider the autonomy and dignity of the individual and the potential harm to them.
References
Calati, R., Olie, E., Dassa, D., Gramaglia, C., Guillaume, S., Madeddu, F., & Courtet, P. (2021). Euthanasia and assisted suicide in psychiatric patients: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 135, 153-173. Web.
Weissberger, G. H., Goodman, M. C., Mosqueda, L., Schoen, J., Nguyen, A. L., Wilber, K. H., & Han, S. D. (2020). Elder abuse characteristics based on calls to the National Center on elder abuse resource line. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 39(10), 1078-1087. Web.