Elder Abuse-how to handle/identify


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Preventing Elder Abuse

 

The growth in America's elderly population is producing an unprecedented

level of abuse against senior citizens. Every day, thousands of elderly Americans

are physically, emotionally or financially abused by family members,

"friends," paid caregivers, door-to-door salespeople and telemarketers.

 

For a variety of reasons, these victims of abuse may be unable or unwilling

to defend themselves. If you have an elderly friend or relative who may be

vulnerable to or easily influenced by others, you should be alert to evidence of

possible abuse and know how to react to it.

 

There are two main categories of elder abuse: physical and financial. Each

has its own set of warning signs and responses.

 

Signs of physical abuse

 

Most warning signs of physical abuse fairly are easy to detect and fall into

any of four categories: (1) evidence of physical injury, (2) decline in

physical condition, (3) poor living conditions and (4) abnormal behavior, such as

social withdrawal, depression or poor self-esteem, fright or nervousness,

agitation or trembling, hesitance to talk openly, and implausible stories.

 

If you encounter an elderly person who exhibits signs of physical abuse, the

following questions may help confirm your suspicions:

 

Has anyone at home ever hurt you?

 

Has anyone ever touched you without your consent?

 

Has anyone ever made you do things you didn't want to do?

 

Has any one taken anything that was yours without asking?

 

Has anyone ever scolded or threatened you?

 

Are you afraid of anyone at home?

 

Are you alone a lot?

 

Has anyone ever failed to help you take care of yourself when you needed

help?

 

If you encounter an elderly or otherwise dependent person whom you suspect is

the victim of physical abuse, report your suspicions to someone in a position

of responsibility, such as a trusted family member, the staff of the elderly

person's retirement community, the State of Arizona Aging and Adult

Administration or the local police.

 

Do not confront the suspected abuser unless you fear that the elderly person

is in immediate danger. If the senior citizen appears in immediate danger,

take him or her to a hospital or other place of safety.

 

 

Financial abuse

 

"Elder fraud" and other forms of financial abuse of senior citizens is a

booming business. The threat of elder fraud may come from door-to-door

salespeople, telemarketers or other predators, including relatives, companions and

caregivers in whom the elderly person's trust has been misplaced.

 

Three types of senior citizens are prime targets for financial abusers: those

who depend heavily on a caregiver for advice and management of their

financial affairs; those who try to manage their own affairs after their ability to do

so has seriously declined; and widows and widowers.

 

Whether or not a senior citizen meets one of the above criteria, a variety of

factors may make him or her vulnerable to financial abuse:

 

Too much idle time. Some senior citizens pass time by reading their mail and

taking phone calls and visits from strangers with attractive purchases, prizes

and investments.

 

Isolation. Many senior citizens retire to warmer climates that are far away

from their families. They may view solicitors as welcome sources of

companionship.

 

Incapacity. A senior does not have to be completely incapacitated to fall

prey to fraud. If a person has even partially impaired vision, for example, he or

she may be inclined to take the verbal assurances of someone who is offering

them a difficult-to-read document.

 

Fear. The most common victims of financial abuse are senior citizens who are

struggling to retain their independence in the face of declining health or

capacity. Even after know they have been defrauded, they are often reluctant to

report it for fear that they will be found incompetent and forced to turn over

control of their affairs to a guardian.

 

 

Other warning signs

 

An adult child, housekeeper or caregiver has the privilege of writing checks

without independent oversight.

 

Constantly present is a relative, friend or caregiver in whom the elder has

placed his or her confidence and who seems to exhibit great influence.

 

The elderly person has issued a general power of attorney to another person.

 

The house is cluttered with products for which the senior citizen has no use.

 

Valuable possessions -- jewelry, artwork, appliances -- seem to be missing or

disappearing.

 

The senior citizen's check register shows large disbursements to charities,

mail-order companies, bank-card institutions or other payees.

 

To uncover or prevent financial abuse

 

Adult children are in the best position to prevent financial abuse. They

should keep in close touch with their parents and stay involved, even if only by

telephone, to ease their parent's sense of isolation; discuss their parents'

finances with them, and pay attention to what they receive in the mail; and show

support and sympathy for a sibling who is their parent's main caregiver. Such

support will help avoid resentment that may cause caregivers, frustrated by a

perceived lack of appreciation for their efforts, to take their "fair share"

from their parent.

 

If you suspect financial abuse

 

Report suspected abuse to family members, the police, the senior citizen's

attorney, or Adult Protective Services. If you suspect fraud by a family member,

alert other family members who you do not suspect of complicity in the

exploitation. W hen alerting family members, be extremely cautious; avoid

unequivocal accusations against the suspected abuser.

 

The above was posted by AZTerri from the End_Verbal_Abuse group that is a support group on yahoo. (I don't know who the author actually is, but I found it interesting.)

 

I love women. They're the best thing ever created.

If they want to be like men and come down to our level, that's fine.

~ Mel Gibson ~

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