Preventing Elderly Abuse

Elderly Abuse
People tend to think of women or children whenever the word “abuse” is mentioned. However, elder abuse is a growing problem in the United States along with the abuse of children and women. The issue of elders being abused, neglected and exploited is more common than you think. The life span has increased over time and many adults look forward to the years of retirement as an opportunity to spend time with their family and friends. On the other hand, relaxing time of retirement can turn into years of abuse for those adults that are dependent on others for their basic needs. It is important to address the issue, solution for it and how to prevent the problem from reoccurring in the future. As the baby boomers age and the life

expectancy increases, these sort of horrible incidents will continue to grow if action is not taken.
Elder abuse is a serious concern in the health environment and is defined as, “Elder abuse may be conceptualized in terms of injury, mistreatment, or neglect involving one of more of the following domains (4): physical, psychological, sociological, and legal.

Such abuse may be inflicted by other individuals, including family member and

non-family member caregivers, or maybe be self-inflicted” (Coyne.) Main concern is why does this kind of problem even exist in today’s society? Well, there is not only one simple answer to this question because a mixture of factors contribute to the elder abuse that takes place. One factor could be violent behavior that carries from generation to generation, where children that were treated violently by their parents and have gotten in a habit of interacting in such demeanor, which then begins to carry from one generation to the next. Another common factor is elderly being dependent on family or caregiver for everything usually leads to abuse or neglect because the caregiver is not ready for the responsibility, cannot take care of the elder’s basic demands, suffers mental or emotional disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction, and financial complications. These disappointing incidents tend to take place in a nursing facility due to the negligence of the staff, elder’s own house, or a family member’s house. American Journal of Public Health did a study on national elder mistreatment and states, “One-year prevalence was 4.6% for emotional abuse, 1.6% for physical abuse, 0.6% for sexual abuse, 5.1% for potential neglect, and 5.2% for current financial abuse by a family member. One in 10 respondents reported emotional, physical, or sexual mistreatment or potential neglect in the past year. The most consistent correlates of mistreatment across abuse types were low social support and previous traumatic event exposure” (Acierno.) A risk for our society in the future is that these percentages will continue to grow and the upcoming generations will forget the importance and value of their elders. The etiological risk factors include misinformation, social isolation, a caretaker’s lack of understanding of the basic needs of the elder, unhealthy family relationships, and psychological problems of the caregiver are conspicuous factors for understanding elder abuse. The elders are extremely vulnerable and usually do not get a chance to stand up against the abuse they have to deal with it.
As the upcoming generation, it is our duty to come up with a solution and take action against such abuse before it gets out of control.

First it is important to recognize the symptoms of elder abuse in order to prevent it from happening. Physical abuse signs and symptoms that should not be ignored are unexplained body injuries, drug overdose or not taking drugs regularly. An elder showing signs of dementia could be a symptom of psychological abuse. Sexual abuse with an elderly is also very common resulting in bruises around breasts or genitals. Neglecting can be noticed by recognition of malnutrition, weight loss, dehydration, and bad hygiene. Elders are also financially exploited by their caretakers or family members by withdrawals from the elder’s account, cash missing from household or any other suspicious financial changes. The first step to preventing elder abuse is recognizing all these signs and symptoms. Other ways to prevent this abuse are: educating people on elder abuse, lighten the load of stress of the caretaker by having someone else take care of the elder for few hours, social communication is important and counseling. According to, Results from an elder abuse prevention experiment in New York City, “Along with increased awareness of the need to respond decisively to elder abuse has come an increased appreciation that elder abuse, like spousal violence and other forms of family abuse, is a complex problem. Arrest, prosecution, abuser education, social

services for victims, and medical assistance each address different parts of the problem, but none alone provides an effective solution” (Davis.) We have the privilege of Adult Protection Services, the Administration of Aging states in the article, What if I Suspect Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation that, “APS is the principal public agency responsible both for investigating reported cases of elder and vulnerable adult abuse and for providing victims with treatment and protective services. Usually, the Adult Protective Services Unit, Area Agency on Aging, or County Department of Social Services is designated as the agency to receive and investigate allegations of elder abuse and neglect. If the investigators find abuse or neglect, they arrange for services to help protect the victim.” Living in a developed country, we are fortunate to have these tools to report and overcome this problem, however in developing countries the abuse is underreported. We have to remember elders cannot stop this problem on their own, and according to the article, Elder Abuse, by the National Institute on Aging, “Many older people are too ashamed to report mistreatment. Or, they’re afraid if they make a report it will get back to the abuser and make the situation worse.” So it is our duty to step in, help and come up with a solution.
While growing up, I watched my grandmother age from a energetic-independent woman to being disabled and dependent on others to fulfill her smallest needs. I realized she had little value and was not respected as much when her characteristics of self reliance, physical beauty, energy, and competence faded away. She began dealing with emotional and physical abuse from other family members because they got frustrated with dealing with her needs. The solution for this problem that we came up with was, keeping her in a happy and healthy environment, communicating with her, and making sure she was given proper care. Her mental and physical health took a complete U-turn and now she is living a healthy life. I personally think the elders no matter how bad circumstances are, that is not an excuse to abuse an elder in any way or form.
Elder abuse is a common public health problem and as the years go by, the number of victims that experience this abuse increases. Addressing the problem, recognizing the symptoms and coming up with a solution are the key steps. It is easy for the physical wounds to heal but the emotional wounds that are caused by this abuse may never go away. If you have the opportunity to help an elderly, you can help simply by raising awareness and educating people on elder abuse. It is our responsibility to do our part to prevent the disrespect and violence against the elderly.