Elderly Abuse Hotline
Abuse should never be tolerated. The elderly are often targeted by abusers because of their age and helplessness. Often, many seniors who are abused are too ashamed to speak out about what they have endured. Every elderly person should know that there is no shame in speaking out about abuse. Counseling is available from hotlines, social workers and therapists. Getting help for abuse is the first step towards healing and building stronger self defense.
Other People Are Reading
-
Significance
-
Many elders become victims of abuse every year, attacked by caregivers, family members, strangers, other seniors and many others. The experience of aging is emotionally troubling enough, as many people entering their elder years find that they are far less physically and mentally able than they were when they were younger. The experience of needing to be dependent on others can be very frightening for many elders, particularly those that were abused as children or in their youth.
Function
-
Elder abuse hotlines - like the ones that you will find below in the references - are not just for the victims of abuse. In the vast majority of cases, victims will not seek out help willingly. Instead, they will either downplay the effects of the abuse or even sympathize with their abusers. Speaking to a counselor experienced in cases of elder abuse can help people who have witnessed the symptoms of abuse to better provide help to the elder in question. The primary feeling of abuse victims of any age is shame.
-
Identification
-
Noticing signs of abuse sometimes requires close observation. In most cases, elderly victims of abuse will work very hard to conceal that they are suffering. Look for unusual bruises, abrupt changes in social behavior, outbursts of extreme emotion, sudden changes in spending habits or low appetite. All of these could be signs of physical, emotional or sexual abuse, and should be paid attention to seriously. Downplaying of the symptoms by the victim is also symptomatic of abuse.
Prevention/Solution
-
Calling an elder abuse hotline can at least help people to become more sensitive to what elders are going through, and perhaps to be able to convince them to separate from their abusers or to get counseling for what they have endured. In many, if not most cases, victims of elderly abuse were abused when they were younger. The attacks that they experience as elders are often re-traumatizing events that are typically responded to with repression and unhealthy self-attacking behavior. In virtually every case of abuse, some sort of therapy is necessary for it to be addressed productively. A call to an elder abuse hotline can provide a referral to a therapist or other care provider specializing in treating elderly abuse victims.
Benefits
-
Elders should understand two things: they can protect themselves and they can heal. A single call to an elderly abuse hotline can help to put an end to cruelty to elders. Identifying dangerous environments for elders - like mismanaged care facilities - can help to protect potentially hundreds of other elders in the future. Abuse does not have to be suffered. It is not something that anyone can simply "get over" - it has lasting effects. The National Center on Elder Abuse runs hotlines for every state to report abusive conditions at nursing homes and other elder care sites.
-
Resources
- Photo Credit Covilha, Flickr
More Like This
Comments
-
This site sucks. I wanted help with elderly abuse. Not 2 b charged a fee 4 help. I could of went 2 a attorney on my own. Where is a free site 2 report elderly ABUSE?
