Types Of Elder Abuse

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The Types of abuse occur when acts are perpetrated as followed. Physical abuse occurs and is typically characterized by when any act of violence or pain is inflicted on the victim. The failure to provide basic necessities are not provided to the elderly victim; including lack of food, lack of shelter, lack of clothing, lack of medical care, and failing to provide for hygienic needs is considered to be neglect of the elderly person in need of care. Similar to neglect, abandonment spurs from the desertion of an elderly person by one who is the primary custodian or caretaker of the elderly victim. Sexual abuse involving any nonconsensual sexual acts against the elderly is also common in domestic and institutional settings. Psychological abuse is any mental harm to the elder through insults, threats, and other demeaning actions or words. Financial abuse generally occurs when the material goods of an elder are taken or withheld from the elderly person. Although there are distinct categories for abuse, an elderly victim may experience more than one or several types of this abuse.
Elder abuse cases tend to be complex with many factors and dimensions to the abuse. The need for improving the general understanding of elder abuse cases can help researchers and law enforcement to both develop and evaluate theory as to provide explanations for abuse. Research has succeeded as to bring attention to some of the characteristics which are common to the different types of elderly abuse.
Contrary to the common understanding of physical abuse, many elderly victims of physical abuse are in fair health and high functioning. Many studies try to refer to mental and physical impairments in an elderly person as a risk for abuse. However, the t...

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...rson is cut off from communication with others, the effects on the mind can be damaging as well as the fact that their abuse is likely to continue to go unnoticed if isolated.
The perpetrators of elderly abuse typically care for the victim, whether it be a family member or a caregiver from a nursing or assisted care facility. However, data from The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study 1998 characterized the perpetrators as being family members in “nine out of ten (89.7 percent) substantiated incidents of domestic elder abuse and neglect” (The Administration for Children and Families & The Administration on Aging, 1998). The report continues by stating that “Adult children of elder abuse victims were the most likely perpetrators of substantiated maltreatment (47.3 percent)” (The Administration for Children and Families & The Administration on Aging, 1998).

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