Blog # 4 Elderly Abuse

Every year, tens of thousands of elderly Americans are abused by those who are responsible for taking care of them. The abuse can take place in their own homes, in relatives homes, and even in facilities responsible for their care. There are many different kinds of abuse Physical, emotional, and neglect are just three of the many. Physical abuse is the abuse where the elder is harmed physically where it may result in pain, and injury. Hitting the elder isn't the only form of physical abuse administering an incorrect dosage of drugs can also be considered physical abuse.

Emotional abuse has two different forms verbal and nonverbal. The two forms can cause the elder emotional pain and distress. The verbal forms of abuse are yelling or threatening, humiliation, and habitualy blaming the elder. Nonverbal psychological elder abuse can take the form of ignoring the elderly person or neglecting, isolating an elder from friends or activities.

It is important that a caretaker understands the task that the have at hand dealing with elders because elder neglect, failure to fulfill a caretaking obligation, constitutes more than half of all reported cases of elder abuse. This topic hits home for me because my grandmother had a stroke the summer of 2001, and my grandfather had a tumor removed from his brain the spring of 2008. With their current health, age and situation they must now rely on caretakers and being that they live in New York City I worry about their safety. Elderly Neglect is the most reported form of abuse and I feel that the family of the elders should know the caretakers personally to ensure that the elders are in great hands.

If elders are being abused there are different ways to report it they should tell a doctor, a friend, or a family member whom they trust. Or they can call Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.