What Is Elder Abuse?

Everyone knows that it can be difficult to deal with and take care of an aging family member. Dealing with senior citizens is never easy and takes a lot of patience and compassion. Unfortunately, some people at this task and wind up mistreating the elderly. This happens all of the time in home environments, nursing home, and care facilities. In order to understand elder abuse better, let's take a look at the different types of elder abuse that exist.

What is Elder Abuse?

Elder abuse is when an older person is harmed or taken advantage of by another individual. This can be a family member, friend or stranger. There are many different types of elder abuse. The most common types are physical, mental, neglect, and financial.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse occurs when any appropriate physical contact takes place with elders. This includes punching, slapping, and hitting of a senior citizen. Even restraining or confining a senior citizen qualifies as elder abuse. An elderly person cannot be restricted in order to make it easier to take care of them. Signs of elderly abuse are bruises, markings, cuts, and swelling.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is just as harmful and traumatic as physical abuse. Subjecting an elderly person to situations that cause them to be frightened or humiliated is elder abuse. This includes swearing, yelling, and using insulting terms. An elderly individual should not be subjected to cruel treatments that can weaken their mental state. Emotional abuse can be spotted in individuals that are either afraid, timid, or are in a constant frightened state.

Neglect

Sometimes doing absolutely nothing at all is a sign of elder abuse. Depriving an elderly person of necessary care is abuse. Elderly people should not be deprived of food, clothing, and adequate home care. They should be kept in an adequately heated environment with all of the items that they need. They should be comfortable in their environment and have all of the medication that they require.

Financial Abuse

Financial abuse is a valid form of elder abuse. Taking advantage of the weakened physical or mental state of the elderly is illegal. This includes taking items from them or using up all of their financial resources for personal gain. Taking the power of attorney from an elderly person and not using it to take care of their best interest is a form of financial abuse. The elderly are often the victims of financial scams from family members and strangers whose goal is to wipe them out. Trying to profit from the misfortunes of an elderly person is a clear cut sign of elderly abuse.

All of the forms of abuse listed above are types of elder abuse. You need to be watchful to make sure that your family members, neighbors, and friends do not become victims of elder abuse. Pay attention to all of the signs and check up on your loved one regularly. Be sure to only hire qualified trained personnel whom have an outstanding reputation for dealing with the elderly.