How to Identify Elder Abuse And Neglect

According to the National Center on Elder Abuse – almost half a million cases of elder abuse are reported each year.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Step one - Look around you, can you recognize the abusers?
   
   • Family members are responsible for 60% for the abuse.
   
   • Spouses and significant others account for 30%.
   
   • The rest are perpetrators are institutional staff (nursing home employees).
   
   There are five types of elder abuse –
   
   • Neglect,
   
   • Sexual,
   
   • Psychological,
   
   • Physical,
   
   • And financial.

2. Step two - look around again. Can you see neglect? Neglect can be very subtle or readily visible. It can be:
   
   o Appearance – dirty or unkempt
   
   o Smells – strong smell or urine (or feces) on the person or in the home
   
   o Food – inadequate or inappropriate (dog food in the house when no dog is present)
   
   o Fluid – dehydration
   
   o Utilities – may be turned off
   
   o Medical – missed appointments, no medications
   
   o Glasses and hearing aids missing

3. Perhaps the hardest type to understand is sexual. Look around to you see any:
   
   o Underwear – bloody, stained, or torn
   
   o Medical – recurrent genital infections, unexplained STDs, itching, bruising, or pain the genital area, and bleeding from the genital area.

Tips & Warnings

• If you suspect elder abuse – report it to Adult Protective Services or call 911 (if you witness physical abuse). The local or county police will investigate the incidence and take steps to protect the person being abused. In addition, they will prosecute the abuser. So, do not ignore elder abuse. Report it immediately!

Resources

• Elder Abuse Resources

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on 10/4/2009 Thank you for raising our awareness about elderly abuse