Elder Abuse & the Effect on Families

Elder abuse is a serious problem that occurs worldwide. In the United States, each of the 50 states has its own definition of elder abuse. The general description can be summed up as causing harm, whether ongoing or one-time, to vulnerable older adults through physical, verbal, emotional or sexual abuse; mistreatment through neglect or abandonment; or exploitation through theft of their property or mishandling of their finances.

Provisions

• Regulations may differ from state to state. However, all states have provisions for reporting the suspicion that seniors are being abused, beginning with contacting Adult Protection Services (APS) to initiate an investigation. APS is an organization that helps older adults or dependent/disabled adults who cannot meet their own needs or are neglected/abused.

Abusers

• The mistreatment of the elderly can occur in the home with family members or personal caregivers as the abusers; in hospitals or nursing homes where staff mistreat elders; or in the community where neighbors as well as strangers are culprits.

Detection

• Some signs of physical abuse are bruises, skin discoloration, choke marks, thumb prints, fractures or cuts. For sexual abuse, check for unexplained genital or anal bleeding, bruises or tearing. Neglect may be reflected in poor hygiene, dirty appearance, malnutrition, feces or urine on the body, or being left unattended in inappropriate places like the bathroom.

  Emotional or psychological abuse may be more difficult to detect, but a few signs include fear, depression, withdrawal or dramatic weight loss. Unfortunately, financial abuse is even harder to detect without being able to see red flags in bank accounts. However, the sale of large or valuable items like jewelry or property such as a house may signal the need for a closer look.

Action

• To report the suspicion of abuse, contact your state's APS office. Contact information for each state's local office may be found within the National Center of Elder Abuse website. To help with prevention, educating yourself, family members and the community is one way to take action. Another is to join organizations that work with getting regulations and policies enacted to protect the elderly.

Punishment

• Elder abuse is a crime.

  Penalties for the mistreatment of older people vary from state to state, since statutes vary from state to state. The offense may be classified as criminal or civil, with penalties varying accordingly.

Effects on Families

• A loved one's being maltreated creates tremendous stress for family members, especially if the abuser is another family member. Keep in mind that there may be a complex psychological component to elder abuse, especially the abuse that occurs within the family. The root of the resentment or anger that results in abusing an older parent, sibling, aunt or uncle may go beyond the frustration involved in being a caregiver to an elderly person.

  Inform the appropriate people running the facility (for cases involving nursing homes or hospitals) and the local APS office. Family members should then consider consulting a professional for counseling on managing the strain involved in dealing with a loved one's maltreatment or for help with ending abuse by another family member.

  Being an elder family member's caregiver has emotional and psychological impacts on the caregiver: issues of death, seeing the loved one frail or suffering, not wanting to see him as a burden yet recognizing that he takes much of your time and energy. Seeing a psychologist or therapist may help you cope and come to terms with your role as the caregiver, whether or not you are also the abuser.

  Meeting with an attorney specializing in family law and elder abuse may also be necessary to attain justice for the abused older person, in cases where the loved one is in a senior-care facility.