Project: Social Change Project: Final Report and Presentation-6361-wk10

Discussion: Analyses of Social Problems in Case Studies-Wk3-6361

Who is defining the problem? In the Petrakis case, Cindy is defining the problem that is affecting Alec’s grandmother. In particular, the grandmother seems to be one of the victims of elder abuse. The abuse is mostly emanating from Alec. This is because Alec stole drugs and money from his grandmother. Thus, Alec is the perpetrator of the elder abuse in this context. Besides, Cindy brings to attention the essence of the Elder Justice Law and how this legislation is meant to protect the elderly who are mostly vulnerable to abuse, including from their care givers. Moreover, from the case study, we learn that there are not many social workers in the area of elder justice and hence elder abuse. This therefore underscores the need to advocate for the protection of the elderly from abuse even as they grow old and as they become increasingly dependent on other people to perform even the simplest of activities (Jansson, 2018).

What values are reflected in this definition of the problem? From the case, it is apparent that the sufferings inflicted on Alec’s grandmother are intentional and hence rightly within the scope of elder abuse. As such, these sufferings are perpetrated by a caregiver, in this case, Alec, who the grandmother should ideally have all the reasons to trust. Perhaps the most significant element of elder abuse suffered by Alec’s grandmother is emotional/psychological abuse (Jansson, 2018).

In the context of Petrakis case, the grandmother suffers from aguish and mental pain as well as distress. This arises from the fact that Alec steals from her and hence she feels disrespected by this. Besides, the verbal and non-verbal threats by Alec towards his grandmother is enough to cause distress to his aging grandmother. Besides, the other form of abuse is financial abuse. Thus, is through Alec’s act of stealing his grandmother’s money for his benefit (Jansson, 2018).

What is being omitted in this definition? The other form of elder abuse that is subtle in Petrakis case is neglect. This is shown by the fact that Helen is incapable of according the grandmother full attention to her needs. As such, one cannot be confident that Alec’s grandmother basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, hygiene as well as essential medical care are adequately taken care of (Jansson, 2018).

What other problems do you see that are not being acknowledged? In the Petrakis case, assessment and conclusion of Alec’s grandmother abuse is extracted from Alec’s actions. However, the case lacks spotlight on the signs presenting on the grandmother herself. Thus, consideration should be given to the grandmother’s complainants such as Alec threats as well as controlling behavior. Also, she can be assessed for signs of emotional abuse through observation of behavior that mimics, and may be confused for dementia. This includes behaviors such as rocking, or mumbling to herself (Jansson, 2018).

Additionally, the grandmother’s financial situation should be assessed in terms of suspicious withdrawals from her bank account that is over and above the cash stolen by Alec. Also, further investigations should be conducted to investigate the extent of financial abuse suffered by Alec’s grandmother (Jansson, 2018).

Moreover, consideration should be given to the risk factors apparent from Petrakis case that then predispose the grandmother to elder abuse. Such risk factors include substance abuse by Alec and hence misjudgment on his part. Another risk factor includes the potential that the caretaker’s perception that taking care of the grandmother is burdensome (Jansson, 2018).

References

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice. (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.