Elder Abuses Looks Like & How to Report It.ย ย The most reprehensible thing to discover is that an elderly person is being abused.ย Often, this abuse goes undetected, especially if the person has no family, lives alone or is in a nursing home and receives no visitors.ย ย The elderly often times are helpless and unless we help them.ย Oftenย abuse is committed by membersย of the family.ย If you see, hear of suspect some is being mistreated, it can be reported anonymously.
There are Several Typesย of Elder Abuse:
- Physical Abuse:ย hitting, punching, slapping
- Emotional Abuse:ย terrorizing, threatening
- Intimate Abuse:ย self- explanatory
- Neglect:ย not providing care,ย cleaning, feeding, turning the body to prevent bed soars.
- Financial Abuse – missing jewelry, money, taking their benefits check
- Signs that may Indicate Elder Abuse
Loss of weight:ย Weight loss can be a sign of abuse of the elderly. If those in charge of an elder person is not regularly preparing meals or are preparing substandard meals, the result could be a loss of weight. It does not take long for an elderly person to lose weight.
Sleeping all the time:ย This can be a sign, the person or nursing home caring for them, is over medicating the person, to make it easier to deal with them.
Bruises:ย Elderly people bruise easily because their skin is thinner. Bruising could be a sign of physical abuse, such as hitting, dropping or neglecting hygiene.
Depression:ย Depression could be a sign of abuse. If the person was usually an upbeat happy person and suddenly they are depressed or always crying, this can be a sign of emotional abuse, such as being yelled at or threatened if they complain.
Fearfulness:ย There could be elder abuse involved if, all of a sudden the person seemed to be afraid, this can also be a sign that someone is threatening, physically or emotionally abusing them.
Bed soars:ย Bedridden seniors, need to be turned on a regular basis, to avoid ulcerated soars on the body. If your elderly loved one has a lot of bed soars, this could be a sign of elder abuse or neglect. andย other buse.
Where to get Help
- If you suspect someone is being abused or taken advantaged of, do not hesitate to ask them if they need help.ย Of course, ask them privately.
- Find aย state-by-state list of places to report elder abuse is available on the U.S. Administration onย ย NCEA.ย Callย 800-677-1116 orย (911)ย ย more info.
- If the seniorย is not verbal or has Alzheimer’sย or dementia, consider installing monitoring system in the home.ย ย Elder abuse is a crime, punishableย by time in jail.
- Once you have noticed any signs of serious or dangerous abuse, it should be reported to the police immediately.ย ย When hiring in-home care or a nurse, make sure they come from a reputableย service that is licensed, bonded.ย These agencies tend to thoroughly screen those working for the agency.