Elder Abuse Is a Serious problem

Each year hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected and exploited by family members and others.  Many victims are people who are  older, frail, and vulnerable and cannot help themselves and depend on others to meet their most basic needs. Many of these victims are American Indian.

Legislatures in all 50 states have passed some form of elder abuse prevention laws.  Laws and definitions of terms vary considerably from one state to another, but all states have set up reporting systems.  Generally, adult protective services (APS) agencies receive and investigate reports of suspected elder abuse.

Incidence

Reports to APS agencies of domestic elder abuse increased 150 percent between 1986 and 1996.  This increase dramatically exceeded the 10 percent increase in the older population over the same period.

A national incidence study conducted in 1996 found the following:

•  551,011 persons, aged 60 and over, experienced abuse, neglect, and/or self-neglect in a one-year period;

•  Almost four times as many new incidents of abuse, neglect, and/or self-neglect were not reported as those that were reported to and substantiated by adult protective services agencies;

• Persons, aged 80 years and older, suffered abuse and neglect two to three times their proportion of the older population; and 

• Among known perpetrators of abuse and neglect, the perpetrator was a family member in 90 percent of cases.   Two-thirds of the perpetrators were adult children or spouses.

• Physical Abuse
  Any physical pain or injury which is willfully inflicted upon an elder by a person who has care or custody of, or who stands in a position of trust with that elder, constitutes physical abuse. This includes, but is not limited to, direct beatings, sexual assault. unreasonable physical restraint, and prolonged deprivation of food or water.
• Financial Abuse
  Any theft or misuse of an elder's money or property, by a person in a position of trust with an elder, constitutes financial abuse.
• Neglect
  The failure of any person having the care or custody of an elder to provide that degree of care which a reasonable person in a like position would provide constitutes neglect. This includes, but is not limited to:

   

  1. Failure to assist in personal hygiene or the provision of clothing for an elder.
  2. Failure to provide medical care for the physical and mental health needs of an elder. This does not include instances in which an elder refuses treatment.
  3. Failure to protect an elder from health and safety hazards.
   
• Self-Neglect
  Failure to provide for self through inattention or dissipation. The identification of this type of case depends on assessing the elder's ability to choose a life-style versus a recent change in the elder's ability to manage.
• Psychological/Emotional Abuse
  The willful infliction of mental suffereing, by a person in a position of trust with an elder, constitutes psychological/emotional abuses. Examples of such abuse are: verbal assaults, threats, instilling fear, humiliation, intimidation, or isolation of an elder.
• Abandonment
  Abandonment constitutes the desertion or willful forsaking of an elder by any person having the care and custody of that elder, under circumstances in which a reasonable person would continue to provide care of custody.
• Sexual Abuse    

         Sexual abuse is defined as non consensual sexual contact of any kind with an elderly person. Sexual contact with any person incapable of giving consent is also considered sexual abuse. It includes but is not limited to unwanted touching, all types of sexual assault or battery, such as rape, sodomy, coerced nudity, and sexually explicit photographing.
Signs and symptoms of sexual abuse include but are not limited to:

• bruises around the breasts or genital area;
• unexplained venereal disease or genital infections;
• unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding;
• torn, stained, or bloody underclothing; and
• an elder's report of being sexually assaulted or raped.

(Source: On Health)

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