Elder Abuse - General Information

by Marci Stocks

Abuse does not just mean physical abuse. Abuse is physical, emotional, mental, sexual, or neglect. It can happen to a woman or a man. It can happen to a person of any age. I am particularly concerned about elder abuse in the nursing home environment. My last article was about the selection of a nursing home. Once your loved one is in a nursing home, it is crucial to make sure that they are being treated with the utmost care. I am not suggesting that all nursing homes mistreat their residents. I am, however, suggesting that as a caregiver it is important to know the signs and symptoms of abuse. Your loved one may be too frightened to tell you or he or she may not know that they are being abused. If it happens frequently, they might just think that is a normal routine. If your loved one is of the dementia-type, he or she may not know how to communicate with you to let you know what is going on.

Types of Elder Abuse:

• 1. Physical Abuse occurs when a person is touched in an inappropriate way, such as hitting, punching, kicking, slapping, and pushing. Physical abuse often leaves marks on the person's body: bite marks, bruises, welts, and burn marks. These marks can sometimes be in a place where you would not usually look. Look at the arms for finger prints. If you assist your loved one in dressing, take notice of her back or side. Also, if your loved one crouches away from you when you lift your arm, you may want to ask why. If you see a mark, do not be afraid to ask where he/she got it from.
• 2. Emotional Abuse occurs when a person is demeaning to your loved one. A person may treat your loved one like a child or call them names. Your loved may seem unusually depressed or may talk bad about themselves.
• 3. Neglect is abuse. Neglect is when your loved one isn't being fed, bathed, moved from the bed, and given medication when needed. Look for rapid weight loss, increase in irritability due to lack of medications, and bed sores from not being bathed. Bed sores are VERY dangerous. You will notice sores on the body, particularly on the backside. They are caused by not being moved from the bed and not being bathed regularly. If you have even the smallest inclination that your loved one is being mistreated, research what is happening. The links below will go further in depth about elder abuse. Please review each site. Remember, it can happen to anyone.

 *New*

April 1, 1999 I usually do not watch day time talk shows. But, today there was a VERY shocking topic on the Sally Jessy Raphael Show called Unbelievable Hidden Video! Unfortunately, there is not a link to the show I am going to speak about, but I will summarize it here. You may have even seen the show. There was an 98 year old man who weighed 57 pounds. He was living with one of his daughters who had a nurse come in to assist him. The daughter trusted this particular nurse. The father, who could not speak or hold himself upright, had a bruise on his forehead. The daughter asked the nurse what had happened and the nurse told her she accidentally bumped the man with her arm. However, a next bruise appeared not too long after the first one occurred. The daughter spoke with other family members and they became suspicious. So, they had a secret video put into her father's room. What I am going to tell you is what I saw on the video. It made my stomach turn and made me think, "Who can you trust these days?" The nurse literally spanked the elderly man, she slapped the bed ridden man, and she even pulled on his ears and started to shake his head up and down. The woman was arrested and was in jail for a little while. I am not sure how long, but I know it wasn't very long. She only received 3 years probation. My point to caregivers is this: If you receive in-home care, please do not put all of your trust in the worker. Not all workers will abuse. However, be on the lookout. If you see bruises ask where they came from. If you supect abuse, look into it immediately. If your loved one cannot communicate with you, look for bruises. The bruises may resemble finger print marks. Also, look for red marks on the body. ANYTHING out of the ordinary, look into it.

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