Elder Abuse Law Pro | USA

Every year, tens of thousands of elderly Americans are abused in nursing homes, long term care facilities, and even their own homes. You may suspect that an elderly person you know is being harmed physically or emotionally by a neglectful or overwhelmed caregiver or being preyed upon financially. By learning the signs and symptoms of elder abuse and how to act on behalf of an elderly person who is being abused, you will not only be helping someone else but strengthening your own defenses against elder abuse in the future.

WHAT IS ELDER ABUSE?

Abuse of elders takes many different forms, the most common of which are described below.

Physical abuse.   This includes not only physical assaults such as hitting or shoving but the inappropriate use of drugs, restraints, or confinement.

Emotional abuse.   This includes speaking or treating the elderly in ways that cause emotional pain or distress. Verbal forms include intimidation (yelling or threats), humiliation, ridicule, habitual blaming or scapegoating.

Psychological Abuse.   This includes isolation from friends or activities or ignoring the elderly.

Sexual Abuse.   This includes contact with an elderly person without consent. The contact can involve physical sex acts, but activities such as showing the elder pornographic material, forcing them to watch sex acts, or forcing the elder to undress are also considered forms of sexual elder abuse.

Neglect or Abandonment.   Elder neglect (the failure to fulfill a caretaking obligation) constitutes more than half of all reported cases of elder abuse. It can be intentional or unintentional, and can be cause by denial or ignorance that the elderly person really needs a heightened level of care.

Financial Abuse.   This includes unauthorized use of an elder's money or property, either by a caregiver or an outside scam artist. An unscrupulous caregiver might misuse an elder's personal checks, credit cards, or accounts; steal cash, income checks, or household goods; forge the elder's signature; or engage in identity theft. Typical schemes that target elders include announcements of a "prize" that the elder has won but must pay money to claim; fake charities; investment fraud; healthcare fraud and abuse (not providing healthcare, but charging for it; overcharging or double-billing for medical care or services; getting kickbacks for referrals to other providers or for prescribing certain drugs; overmedicating or undermedicating; recommending fraudulent remedies for illnesses or other medical conditions; or Medicaid fraud).

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ELDER ABUSE

At first, you might not recognize or take seriously signs of elder abuse. They may appear to be symptoms of dementia or signs of the elderly persons frailty or caregivers may explain them to you that way. In fact, many of the signs and symptoms of elder abuse overlap with symptoms of mental deterioration, but that doesnt mean you should dismiss them based on the word of the caregiver.

We recommend the California Attorney General's online publication:   A Citizen's Guide to Preventing & Reporting Elder Abuse. For additional information on Elder Abuse you may go to: MedlinePlus.