Blog #4: Wild Card (Elderly Abuse)

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Blog #4: Wild Card (Elderly Abuse)

As we age our abilities tend to decline; and because of this we look to others for help. This help can be from formal caregivers like family and friends or informal caregivers like home nurses. With this dependency on others, elders are more than ever vulnerable to abuse by their caregivers. Elderly abuse not only consists of physical abuse but can be mental and emotional as well. The most frequent forms of abuse are self-neglect, caregiver neglect and emotional/psychological abuse. Furthermore different factors can contribute to the abuse of an elder. For instance those with mental illness or substance abuse problems are at a higher risk of being an abuser. In addition abuse can also occur because of long-standing personality problems of the caregiver and a history of using abusive methods to solve problems.

It is important to realize that as more family and friends assume the role of caregiver due to the inability to pay for LTC, stress levels will increase and more will placed on their plates. Although ethnic elders are more likely to be cared for at home because of stronger intergenerational family networks and different cultural values that doesn’t meant that they are not victims of abuse. Experts say that 500,000 elders have been abused, while others say it could range from 1 million to 5 million; this includes those who are receiving care at home. The question remains why are these estimated numbers so high?

Some speculate that the abused might not come forth because of shame, fear, or loyalty. Either way it is important that caregivers realize what they are taking on, and if they can’t take on the task of caring for someone else then there are other alternatives. Prevention of abuse programs do exist and assist caregivers in dealing with the stresses of caring for a dependent adult and to teach anger management and other skills. There are similar programs that focus on professionals who fail to identify signs of abuse. Now some may ask how a professional can overlook telltale signs of abuse. Well many signs of abuse can actually be mistaken as aging or chronic condition such as bruises and recurrent fractures. The only way to reduce the number of abused elders and solve this problem is to educate caregivers on managing their schedule and stress and to develop guidelines as to how to treat elders. Abuse is something that elders should never have to experience and it is our jobs to stop it.