Identifying and Reporting Elder Abuse

Identifying and Reporting Elder Abuse

The increase of seniors in the population has left them vulnerable to many risks, one of which is elder abuse. Since elderly abuse is more common than you think and can be perpetrated by a number of individuals who the senior person comes in contact with, here are some of the things that you need to know about elder abuse.

Elder Abuse: Explained

When an older person begins to lose the capabilities to take care of themselves, oftentimes, the family steps in and hires nurses and professional in-home caregivers to take care of the elderly person at a senior care center, where there are also doctors, nurses in residence and other staff users. Despite so many people being involved, the signs of elder abuse can go unnoticed. More often than not, the seniors being abused do not complain about it for fear of retaliation, or they simply do not want to get the person in trouble.

So, what is elder abuse? It is defined as any form of mistreatment that can result in the loss or harm of a senior who is under the care of a caregiver. According to the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, an estimated two out of three staff users of senior care homes and other similar facilities admitted to committing an abuse between 2017 and 2018. This abuse can take many different forms from simply neglecting to care for a senior to financial abuse, and other more serious forms such as sexual abuse and physical harm.

As senior care centers, there is a moral obligation to take care of all seniors in their facility, but sadly, more often than not, that’s not the case, and seniors who are living in these senior care facilities are subject to various forms of abuse.

The following are some of the most common forms of elder abuse that have been reported in senior care facilities:

Neglect – This is, by far, one of the most common forms of abuse that is reported amongst elders. It occurs when nurses and caregivers at these facilities fail to carry out their responsibilities. Some of the reasons that constitute neglect are living in unhygienic conditions, poorly managed rooms, no one to oversee seniors taking their medication, malnutrition, dehydration, and so on. Neglecting the needs of a person in a senior care facility can result in serious health issues, which is why it should be reported immediately.

Physical and Psychological Abuse – Physical abuse implies bodily harm, such as cuts or scratches. Families that notice repeated injuries of an elderly loved one who is in a senior care facility should report the incident immediately. Psychological or emotional abuse can be a little harder to detect, but again, families who visit their elderly in these facilities should take note of the surroundings and the behavior and body language of all of the staff users in the facility, including their family users, to detect any red flags.

Ending Note

It should be noted that state and federal laws, such as the Elder Justice Act of 2009, have been put in place in recent years to help protect the rights of seniors. Because of the passing of these laws, elder abuse is taken more seriously and should be reported.