Elder Abuse

What Is Elder Abuse?

Elder abuse refers to any action — or failure to act — that causes harm, distress, or a serious risk to an older adult’s health or well-being.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 6 older adults worldwide experienced some form of abuse within the past year.

Many cases of elder abuse happen in nursing homes, with 66% of staff members admitting to harming residents in a recent study. Older adults can even experience abuse at the hands of family members, friends, and others who are supposed to be caring for them.

There is never an acceptable reason to abuse or neglect older people. Elder abuse can lead to serious health consequences or death in some cases.

The Victim Advocacy Center is here to support you or someone you love who has experienced elder abuse. We’ll walk with you through this unimaginably difficult time and help you get resources needed to recover and move forward — get a Free Case Review now.

Types of Elder Abuse

Elder abuse can take many different forms. Each has its own signs and outcomes, so it’s important to understand all of them to protect your loved one.

Types of elder abuse include:

• Physical elder abuse: This occurs when force or violence is used to inflict injury, pain, or impairment. Examples include any type of assault and battery, such as hitting, pushing, slapping, or improperly restraining an elder.
• Elder neglect: The failure to provide essential care, such as food, shelter, medical attention, and personal hygiene, can lead to health complications or declining quality of life.
• Sexual abuse: Non-consensual sexual contact of any kind with an elder, including unwanted touching, sexual assault, or exposure to sexual materials.
• Emotional abuse: Also called psychological abuse, this involves verbal assaults, threats, isolation, or manipulation that damages an elder’s emotional well-being and sense of dignity.
• Financial exploitation: Illegally or improperly using an elder’s financial resources through theft, fraud, or manipulation to access their funds, accounts, or assets.

It’s also important to understand that multiple types of abuse may happen at the same time, leading to lasting harm. Because of this, it is important to step in as soon as you believe an elderly person is being mistreated.

What Causes Elder Abuse?

Common causes of elder abuse include the stress of caregiving, lack of training, and more. It’s understandable to feel overwhelmed at times if you have to care for an older person, especially one with an impairment like dementia.

Here are some notable causes of elder abuse:

• Caregiver stress: Overburdened caregivers may lash out or neglect their duties due to exhaustion or frustration.
• Financial motives: Family members or others may see an older adult’s savings, benefits, or inheritance as an opportunity for financial gain.
• Lack of care knowledge: Family members are sometimes thrust into a caregiving position without knowing how to properly provide for an older person. In poor-quality nursing homes, newly hired staff may not get enough training. Both of these issues increase the odds of neglect or even abuse occurring.
• Understaffing in nursing homes: Many long-term care facilities struggle with having enough staff members to care for residents. Understaffing can lead to frustration among caregivers, contributing to higher rates of abuse and neglect.

However, there are never any excuses for taking out these frustrations through elder abuse, whether it’s physical or emotional harm or neglecting to care for the person in question.

Call (877) 684-0487 now if you or a loved one was a victim of elder abuse or neglect. We’ll listen to your story and recommend next steps to move forward.

Elder Abuse Risk Factors

While any older adult could fall victim to elder abuse, some are in greater danger than others due to factors like an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, living far away from friends or family, and more.

Key risk factors for elderly abuse include:

• Alzheimer’s or dementia: Up to half of Alzheimer’s or dementia patients experience abuse or neglect at some point.
• Poor health: Outside of mental health conditions like dementia, residents who are physically frailer and harder to care for are more susceptible to abuse or neglect. For example, residents with mobility issues must be regularly checked and repositioned to prevent bedsores.
• Sex: Older women are more likely to experience abuse or neglect. In fact, about 2 in 3 of elder abuse victims are women.
• Social isolation: Older adults with limited social connections are at greater risk of abuse as they have fewer people to protect them. A notable example is if a senior lives in a nursing home without extended family nearby to check on them.

Additional factors for elder abuse include low income or economic background, being more dependent on others for assistance, and abusing alcohol or drugs.

Signs of Elder Abuse

Recognizing the signs of elder abuse is crucial to quickly stepping in and protecting someone you love. The signs of abuse vary by the type, but all of them can be incredibly harmful if not promptly addressed.

Here are different signs of elder abuse to watch out for:

• Elder financial abuse could be to blame for unexplained withdrawals from bank accounts, sudden changes to legal documents, and bills not being paid, even when the person in question could afford them.
• Emotional abuse signs include withdrawal from social activities or friends, sudden mood changes, or being afraid fearfulness to speak around certain people.
• Neglect may include issues like wearing frequently dirty clothes, losing weight, new bedsores, agitation, soiled bedsheets, or malnutrition or dehydration.
• Physical abuse often leaves visible marks, such as bruises, broken bones, or cuts, but not all injuries are immediately apparent. Over-sedation or misuse of medications, frequent hospital visits that aren’t explained, or improper restraints are also common signs.

While you may not be certain that an older person you love is being abused, any strange or sudden changes should be cause for concern.

Who Commits Elder Abuse?

Anyone who has been trusted to care for an older person could commit abuse or neglect due to frustration, resentment, or simply carelessness. While providing care to an older person can sometimes be taxing, there’s no justification for elder abuse.

Those who are often responsible for elder abuse include:

• Family members: This is the most likely group to commit elder abuse, accounting for nearly 58% of all cases, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA).
• Nursing home staff: Two-thirds of staff members admitted to causing nursing home abuse in a study from the WHO.
• Other nursing home residents: Residents with mental impairments like dementia could become aggressive, and without staff stepping in, could attack other older people in a long-term care facility. Resident attacks account for 22% of all nursing home abuse cases.

Older adults rely on family members and nursing home staff to care for them and never deserve to suffer abuse or neglect.

Get a Free Case Review if you or someone you love has suffered elder abuse. We can help you navigate life in the wake of abuse so you can confidently move forward.

Preventing Elder Abuse

Prevention is key to reducing rates of elder abuse. Family members, caregivers, and communities all play important roles in creating safe environments for older adults.

Here’s how you can help:

• Get educated: If an older adult you know is in need of care, do your due diligence to help them. This includes researching the highest-quality nursing homes or in-home care services, understanding possible warning signs of abuse or neglect, and finding out contact information for elder protective services near you if needed.
• Stay involved: Stay in touch with older family members and visit them frequently, if possible. Social isolation is one of the leading risk factors for elder abuse.
• Take action: Don’t wait for things to get worse. If you are concerned about an older person’s well-being, take swift action to protect them. This can include removing them from a dangerous nursing home, getting them medical attention, or calling the police in serious cases.

All of these steps can go a long way to helping an older person you love live for years to come — and stopping abuse before it can cause long-term health problems.

How to Report Elder Abuse

If you suspect that a loved one has suffered elder abuse or neglect, it’s crucial to report it. Always call 911 in the event of a medical emergency. Beyond law enforcement, there are many different agencies that handle complaints and possible cases of abuse.

If you suspect elder abuse, here’s what you can do:

• Contact Adult Protective Services (APS) in your state to report abuse.
  Reach out to a long-term care ombudsman if the abuse is occurring in a nursing home or assisted living facility.
• If your loved one lives in a nursing home, report any neglect or abuse by staff to the facility administrators or owners.
• After reporting elder abuse to the proper authorities, you can get a Free Case Review from the Victim Advocacy Center. We’ll review the circumstances in your case and connect you with resources to help in the recovery process.

Older adults may be unable or unwilling to report abuse themselves out of fear of retaliation. If you suspect abuse, it’s your responsibility to file a report and protect them. Doing so could prove lifesaving.

Legal Rights and Protections for Elder Abuse Victims

Laws in place across the United States have protections for older adults. It is a crime to abuse or neglect vulnerable populations, including elders. 

Laws and resources in place to protect elders from abuse include:

• Elder Justice Act (EJA): This is the first comprehensive federal legislation to address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in the United States. The EJA provides funding and resources for investigations and prevention measures.
• Adult Protective Services (APS): APS agencies exist in every state to respond to reports of elder abuse. They investigate allegations and provide support services to ensure the older person’s safety and well-being.
• Mandatory reporting laws: Many states have laws requiring health care workers, social workers, and financial professionals to report suspected elder abuse. Failure to report may result in fines or other penalties.

You can look up the laws in your state to get a better idea about the protections in place for yourself or an older person that you love.

Get Help and Support for Elder Abuse

Aging adults deserve care if they are experiencing health issues or can no longer live independently. Sadly, far too many older people every year are abused or neglected by the people supposed to care for them.

If you or a loved one has experienced elder abuse, support is available. At the Victim Advocacy Center, we connect elder abuse victims and their loved ones with the resources they need so they can seek justice.

Our dedicated team can:

• Hear your story with compassion and care
• Help you access resources to recover
• Pursue compensation on your behalf, if eligible
• Stand by you in the aftermath of abuse or neglect

Get a free case review or call (877) 684-0487 now to start the process and see how we can assist you or your family.