Signs of Elderly Abuse

Elder abuse can happen in any environment by any caregiver, including the elder's child, spouse or nurse. It can take place in the person's own home or in a long-term care facility. Sadly, there are between 500,000 and 1 million cases reported to the authorities, often founded. But for as many are as reported, there are as many that are not. For the elders who are capable of speaking, many are frightened to report the abuse for fear of revenge or losing the caregiver. For those who have lost the ability of speech, the only hope they have are the people who may witness the abuse and speak on their behalf.

Physical Abuse

• Physical abuse can be both accidental or intentional and occurs when excessive force has been used during care. It results in some type of pain or injury to the elder as a direct result of hitting, shoving, an overuse of medication or inappropriate use of restraints. As a result, the elder may have a bruise or welt on her body, sustain broken bones or sprains, may be taken to the emergency room due to a drug overdose or have marks on her wrists from the restraints.

Emotional Abuse

• The elderly need as much emotional care as they do physical; therefore, emotional abuse is as much a danger as physical abuse is. Speaking to an elderly person in a demeanor that results in emotional pain or distress for him constitutes emotional abuse. Caregivers who threaten or degrade their patient in front of others is an obvious sign of abuse; however, the elder may also display signs of his own. He may regress behaviorally, copying the actions of someone with dementia. These signs include rocking back and forth and mumbling to himself.

Sexual Abuse

• Any elder who is subjected to physical contact or pornographic material or who is forced to watch a sexual act is a victim of sexual abuse. Signs that this has occurred include unexplained venereal diseases or infections, unexplained bleeding in the vagina or anus, clothes that are bloody, torn or stained and bruises that appear around or near the genitals or breasts.

Neglect

• Neglect accounts for over half of the abuse cases reported each year. In these instances, the caregiver is not performing her required job duties, either intentionally or unintentionally. In cases of neglect, the patient may display signs of malnutrition, physical problems such as bed sores that have remained untreated, living conditions that are unsanitary such as soiled bedding and clothes, patients who have not been bathed or who have remained in soiled attends and those who live in unsafe conditions such as homes without heat or running water.

Risk Factors

• Caring for the elderly is not a job that can be taken lightly and is not a job that is tailor-made to everyone. It is a high-stress job that many are unable to handle. This and other factors make some more capable of committing elder abuse than others. Those who are unable of dealing with stress or who do not receive enough support from other caregivers are at an increased risk of abusing the elder they are in charge of. Those who abuse substances are also considered high risk. In a nursing home setting, elder abuse may occur due to poor training, being understaffed or having too many responsibilities at one time.

Reporting

• Though there is currently no federal regulation when it comes to reporting elder abuse, there are some who are required to report it if they witness it. This includes nursing home workers, emergency and medical personnel, social workers and counselors. However, it is important to keep in mind that although there may be no federal regulation, anyone who sees signs of abuse should feel obligated to report elder abuse when they witness it.