What Is Elder Abuse And How To Overcome Abuse

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The growing epidemic of elder abuse

Elder abuse or mistreatment of older people go back to ancient times. While other forms of violence dominate public health issues, elder abuse still remains undercover. With the increase in the number of cases of elder abuse, it has now become a matter of grave public health concern. The growing incidence of violence against our elderly, only points towards a complex network governing neglect, mistreatment, caregiver stress, family stress, and financial issues.

The majority of the cases begin at home. Whenever we hear about elder abuse, we all think of the kind of mistreatment of our elderly at home care centers. However, this is not always the case, and our elderly often receive mistreatment and abuse in their own homes. Dealing with this can be overwhelming and I can help you with caregiving consulting in order to avoid any further can cause strain on you, as the family caregiver. Also, Here are some great books to help you now.

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What is elder abuse?

Abuse can happen to anyone — no matter the person’s age, sex, race, religion, or ethnic or cultural background. Each year, hundreds of thousands of adults over the age of 60 are abused, neglected, or financially exploited. According to the CDC, elder abuse is an intentional act. Either by a caregiver or other person, that either creates or causes harm to an elderly person. There are various forms of elder abuse, which include:

Physical abuse

When the caregiver, administers physical force on the elderly, like slaps, ties them with ropes or chains, beats them, all refer to physical abuse. Any act that physically harms the elderly, even if it was for his / her benefit, is physical abuse.

Neglect

occurs when the caregiver does not try to respond to the older adult’s needs. This may include physical, emotional, and social needs, or withholding food, medications, or access to health care.

Abandonment

Is when you leave an elderly person alone without planning for his or her care.

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse, as the name suggests, includes any form of inappropriate touching, to indulging in a sexual act forcefully with an elderly who is unable to voice his / her protest against the awful act.

Emotional or psychological abuse

In this form of abuse, if the caregiver behaves or treats the elderly in a way, which is threatening and causes fear, pain, emotional stress for the elderly, is abusive.

Financial abuse

Financial abuse is that form of abuse, wherein the caregiver or other members of the family, take money from the elderly without their permission. In other words, it is money taken under false pretenses and can result in big fraud involving the property.

Signs of elder abuse

Many times elder abuse goes unnoticed, due to ignorance or lack of knowledge regarding the same. The signs and conditions listed below may not always hint elder abuse. These may also be an indication of some underlying medical conditions. However, those signs and symptoms which do not have a medical basis should form the source for further investigation. The following are some of the major signs and symptoms indicating elder abuse:

Many times elder abuse goes unnoticed, due to ignorance or lack of knowledge regarding the same.

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Signs indicating physical abuse –

Grip marks or signs of bruises on arms, around the neck or wrists.
Unexplained injuries
Rope marks on the wrists or ankles indicating physical abuse.
Indifferent attitude and making repeated statements about injuries

Signs indicating neglet or abandonment –

Becomes withdrawn or acts agitated or violent
Displays signs of trauma, like rocking back and forth
Develops bed sores or other preventable conditions
Lacks medical aids (glasses, walker, dentures, hearing aid, medications)
Has an eviction notice for unpaid rent, notice of late mortgage, or home eviction
Has hazardous, unsafe, or unclean living conditions
Displays signs of insufficient care or unpaid bills despite adequate financial resources

Signs indicating emotional or psychological abuse –

The elderly become quiet and avoids social contact
Refuses to talk and becomes unresponsive
Prefers to stay alone and chooses isolation over social gatherings
Sudden changes in behavior

Signs indicating Sexual abuse –

Anal or vaginal bleeding without any medical cause
Frequent vaginal infections
Torn undergarments or bruised private parts

Signs of financial abuse –

Unexplained expenditure of the large sum of money
There are no records of the amount spent
Signature on the checks do not match with that of the elderly

Signs indicating neglect –

Poor basic hygiene of the elderly
Improper clothing according to weather changes
The home doesn’t have the basic necessities such as proper plumbing, electricity, etc.
The home is full of clutter and is dirty as well as untidy
Safety hazards are absent and the home lacks basic maintenance facilities.

It is important to know, all the above-mentioned signs indicate that the elderly are being mistreated and abused. Also, finding some solutions, or reporting the matter to centers that handle elder abuse cases, is the best you can do.

Steps to prevent elder abuse

Elder abuse is a grave problem, and taking steps to prevent the same is extremely necessary. All of us have the right to live an abuse-free life, and so do, our elderly loved ones. However, some elderly people go through abusive treatment almost every day. Here are some tips, that can help you prevent elder abuse.

You need to first carefully listen to the senior and his / her caregiver.
Intervene directly only when you suspect abuse of the elderly person.
Look for warning signs that are indicative of abuse.
With permission, have a look at the bank account statement to check for financial fraud.
You also need to talk to the elderly and know about the kind of behavior meted out to them.
If you are a family member or a close friend of the elderly, you can offer to stay with them at least for a good period of time, so that the caregiver can get a break.

Elder abuse is a grave problem, and taking steps to prevent the same is extremely necessary.

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Many local, state and national social service agencies can help with emotional, legal, and financial problems.

The Administration for Community Living has a National Center on Elder Abuse where you can learn about how to report abuse, where to get help, and state laws that deal with abuse and neglect. Go to https://ncea.acl.gov for more information. Or, call the Eldercare Locator weekdays at 800-677-1116.

Most states require that doctors and lawyers report elder mistreatment. Family and friends can also report it. Do not wait. Help is available.

Conclusion

Many times, elder abuse occurs due to extreme levels of stress on the part of the caregiver. While, this is certainly not an excuse to abuse your elderly, but taking certain steps to reduce caregiver stress would be a good idea. All caregivers should practice various stress reduction practices, to keep stress at bay, and prevent elder abuse. For more information on the subject, check out this site. Also, check out this past post on dysfunctional families.

Don’t forget about taking care of yourself and keeping your business going while you are caregiving. I’m here to assist you on this journey, schedule your planning session with me so we can look at how to keep your life and your business running smoothly.

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