The United Nations has designated Thursday as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to call attention to the problems of physical, emotional and financial abuse of elders.
Elder abuse is defined as any harm or threatened harm to an older adult's health or welfare caused by another person. What makes this type of abuse so devastating is the "expectation of trust" the older person has toward their abuser. Older adults who are dependent on others for basic care are at a greater risk of being abused, but abuse can happen to anyone.
Physical types of elder abuse include hitting, punching, slapping, burning, pushing, kicking, restraining, false imprisonment/confinement, or giving excessive or wrong medication, as well as withholding treatments and medications.
Psychological or emotional abuse can be in the form of humiliation. It is common in this type of abuse for the abuser to find something that matters to the older person and then use it to coerce them into a particular action. This may take the form of verbal abuse such as yelling, name-calling, ridiculing, constant criticism, accusations, blaming, or nonverbal forms such as ignoring, silence, shunning or withdrawal of affection toward the older person.
Financial abuse involves the misappropriation of the elder's financial resources by family members, caregivers or strangers, or the use of financial means to control the older person.
Sexual abuse can occur when someone has dementia. This type of abuse is defined as forcing an older person to take part in any sexual activity without their consent, including forcing them to participate in conversations of a sexual nature against their will.
Neglect can be in the form of depriving the elderly of proper medical treatment, food, heat, clothing or comfort. Neglect can include leaving an at-risk older person unattended. Abandonment, rights abuse, and self-neglect are also recognized as elder abuse in the United States. Elder abuse is considered when deserting an elderly, dependent person for a period of time that may likely endanger their health or welfare.
Rights abuse is denying the civil and constitutional rights of a person who is old but not deemed by the courts to be mentally incapacitated.
Self-neglect is very common with elders who have cognitive impairment, such as various forms of dementia. Self-neglect or harm by self might occur when the older person is not caring for their own health or well-being in the case of not eating adequately, failing to take needed medications, poor hygiene or not wearing suitable clothing for the weather.
The ability to recognize the warning signs of elder abuse is the key to intervention and prevention. These signs may include unexplained cuts, bruises, burns, bed sores or even unexplained broken bones. Nonphysical signs may include a change in the older person's behavior or emotional well-being, such as withdrawal from normal activities, a sudden change in alertness, and unusual depression, fear of being left alone with the caregiver and or refusal of the caregiver to allow private conversations with the older person. Other indicators may include changes in the person's finances, unexplained disappearance of money, missing checks, withdrawals that cannot be explained, credit card charges or property transfers. Extreme weight loss, poor hygiene, missing medication and unsanitary living conditions may also be signs or indicators that elder abuse is present.
With the significant demographic changes in our world today and projections of the global population of people older than 60 exceeding the number of younger people in the relatively near future, the need to address problems and challenges that face the elderly is imminent. Area Agency on Aging has programs in place, including the Senior Companion Program, to ensure that seniors are not overlooked.
The Senior Companion Program places volunteers 55 years of age and older in the home of seniors who are homebound on a regular basis. Seniors helping seniors fits perfectly with the mission of the agency, which is to assist seniors in living independent, meaningful and dignified lives. The Senior Companion Program assures the older client and their families that a dedicated and compassionate volunteer will be there for them, putting the client's well-being first.
To learn more about elder abuse, call the National Center on Elder Abuse at 855-500-3537 (ELDR) or visit http://www.ncea.acl.gov. To report suspected abuse, call the Adult Protective Services Hotline at 800-482-8049.
Lori Voss is the Senior Companion Program volunteer development coordinator for Area Agency on Aging of West Central Arkansas Inc.
Editorial on 06/14/2017