OCTOBER is National Domestic Abuse Awareness Month
HOW DO I KNOW IF ABUSE IS HAPPENING?
PHYSICAL ABUSE
Any intentional or neglectful act that causes injury or bodily harm is considered ABUSE. Examples would be include hitting, shoving, kicking, or burning an older person, tying him to a bed or wheelchair, locking him in a room, or giving him drugs his doctor hasn’t prescribed.
SIGNS OF PHYSICAL ABUSE?
Physical abuse is often a visible injury. However, other signals could include:
- Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, or bleeding
- Broken bones or sprain ligaments
- Repetitive similar injuries
- The person shies away from medical help.
SEXUAL ABUSE
While Sexual Abuse to elderly persons may sound odd, but it is a growing issue. Many elderly victims have medical problems that result in difficulties communicating, confusion, or memory loss. These issues often prohibit or interfere with their ability to call for help or report abuse.
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WHAT CONSTITUTES SEXUAL ABUSE?
Like any other form of abuse, Sexual Abuse can range from forcing an elderly person to watch pornography to inappropriate touching to actual sexual contact.
SIGNS OF POSSIBLE SEXUAL ABUSE
Signs can include physical, emotional and psychological reactions. Examples are:
- Mobility problems
- Bruising, bleeding or irritation in the genitals or inner thighs
- Appearance of a sexually transmitted disease STD or urinary infections
- Torn, bloody or stained clothing
- Panic attacks or sudden agitation
- Signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Social or emotional changes or withdrawals
- Inappropriate or aggressive behavior
- Suicide attempts
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE
PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE - EMOTIONAL STRESS
While physical abuse is the most visible, psychological or emotional abuse is most common. It can come from family members, caretakers, nursing facility staff, volunteers or others with regular contact.
- Abrupt changes in social activity - such as aggressiveness or withdrawal can be a key indicator that something different is happening in the elder’s life.
- Being kept apart from friends and family is an isolation tactic which can be a form of physical or emotional ‘kidnapping’
EMOTIONAL ABUSE IS SEEN IN...
- Yelling or screaming at the victim
- Blaming the victim
- Humiliating, ridiculing or demeaning the victim
- Intimidating, terrorizing or threatening behavior toward the elderly person
- Isolating the elder from friends, family or social occasions
SIGNS TO WATCH FOR:
How do you know if abuse may be happening to your loved one? Here are some key indicators to watch for:
- Avoiding eye contact or appearing shy
- Exhibiting low self-esteem
- Appears depressed or withdrawn
- Seems disturbed, scared or hopeless
- Acts out or has self-injurious behavior
- Shows aggressiveness or violence toward others
- May have acute mood swings
- See changes in eating or sleeping patterns
ABANDONMENT, NEGLECT & SELF-NEGLECT
ABANDONMENT & NEGLECT
NEGLECT is when a caregivers fail to tend to the needs of an elderly person. This can be not providing enough food, water, housing, medicines and other necessities.
Neglect also includes failure to help an elder with personal hygiene, pay bills or see to other normal daily tasks that they are unable to do for themselves.
ABANDONMENT is leaving the elder person alone to fend for themselves, or "dumping" them in nursing facilities without family interaction or visits.
SELF-NEGLECT
When an older person is unable to care for themselves, that is classified as SELF-NEGLECT.
Inability or failure to care for one's self or not being able to function in normal daily life, is another cause for concern in our elderly population.
Self-Neglect is often unrecognized or goes unreported due to shame or fear of the unknown consequence.
Tennessee has several support systems available for the elderly which address living conditions, medical care, legal resources and other needs..
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FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION OF THE ELDERLY
Financial Abuses
The first portion of the elderly protection legislative action, known as the Senior Financial Protection and Securities Modernization Act, created protection from abusive financial crimes by strengthening the penalties to felonies for caregivers who steal from the elderly or vulnerable adults.
According to Tennessee statute, the "new laws provide greater tools available to the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance’s (TDCI) Securities Division and the securities industry in helping detect and prevent financial exploitation."
“Studies and statistical evidence prove that 1 in 5 of every citizen over age 65 has or will be victimized by some form of financial fraud,” states DA Matthew Stowe.
“Our financial abuse legislation assists the people and institutions who are best poised to see the red-flags of this type of financial abuse.”