Diesfeld Kate
Te Piringa Faculty of Law, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
J Law Med. 2011 Jun;18(4):737-48.
Elder abuse is a universal concern and is gaining greater public and professional attention. This increased concern to protect elders is internationally evident in policy reform, multidisciplinary research and education. Yet neglect in care settings continues. This research responds by contributing to the international effort to promote humane care for elders who are in a position of dependence, particularly in residential facilities. The legal cases that result from some complaints by aggrieved elders and their advocates may offer insights that are relevant for prevention. While the law is often viewed merely as a system of control, it may also be a resource for learning, particularly in the context of abuse prevention. Although the analysis references New Zealand law, the discussion may have broader application by indicating factors that precede, or trigger, unacceptable conduct. By understanding what went wrong and why, we may decrease the likelihood of future incidents. Also, understanding the legal ramifications may have a deterrent effect. Many advocates and activists have asked how we can ensure that abuses do not recur; some answers may lie within the legal cases themselves. How may recent legal cases be used to prevent mistreatment of elders in residential facilities? This question is applied to select decisions of New Zealand's Health and Disability Commissioner, Human Rights Review Tribunal and Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. While each body has distinct functions, relevant factors identified within the cases may reveal information that is of interest to elderly people and their advocates, caregivers, health educators and professional registration bodies. The research is timely in light of New Zealand's Review of Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention Services in New Zealand (Department of Child Youth and Family Services, 2004) and New Zealand's Positive Ageing Strategy (Office of Senior Citizens, 2001). This article incorporates current debates regarding the use and analysis of legal cases and suggests that such analyses offer learning opportunities.
虐待老年人是一个全球性问题，正受到公众和专业人士越来越多的关注。这种对保护老年人的关注度提高在政策改革、多学科研究和教育方面在国际上都很明显。然而，护理机构中的忽视现象仍在继续。这项研究通过为国际上促进对处于依赖状态的老年人，特别是在寄宿设施中的老年人提供人道护理的努力做出贡献来做出回应。一些受侵害的老年人及其倡导者提出的投诉所引发的法律案件可能会提供与预防相关的见解。虽然法律通常仅被视为一种控制体系，但它也可能是一种学习资源，特别是在预防虐待的背景下。尽管分析参考了新西兰法律，但通过指出导致不可接受行为的先行或触发因素，讨论可能具有更广泛的适用性。通过了解哪里出了问题以及原因，我们可以降低未来事件发生的可能性。此外，了解法律后果可能会产生威慑作用。许多倡导者和活动家问我们如何才能确保虐待行为不再发生；一些答案可能就在法律案件本身之中。最近的法律案件如何用于防止寄宿设施中对老年人的虐待？这个问题适用于新西兰健康与残疾专员、人权审查法庭和健康从业者纪律法庭的某些裁决。虽然每个机构都有不同的职能，但案件中确定的相关因素可能会揭示对老年人及其倡导者、护理人员、健康教育工作者和专业注册机构有意义的信息。鉴于新西兰对新西兰虐待和忽视老年人预防服务的审查（儿童、青年和家庭服务部，2004年）以及新西兰积极老龄化战略（老年人办公室，2001年），这项研究很及时。本文纳入了关于法律案件的使用和分析的当前辩论，并表明此类分析提供了学习机会。
