This Is Elder Abuse: Types, Warning Signs, and How to Report It
Have any types of elder abuse ever affected you or anyone you know? Have you ever suspected that you or a vulnerable senior in your life might be suffering from neglect or mistreatment? Do you feel conflicted, afraid, embarrassed, or unsure of what to do about it? Each day, millions of older people in America and around the world are negatively impacted by elder abuse. It's an ugly problem that needs to be better understood and taken more seriously by everyone, in every community. Nobody deserves to be neglected, exploited, or abused.
Unfortunately, the warning signs of abuse are often missed, ignored, or rationalized away—even by well-meaning people. In fact, it's likely that most cases of elder mistreatment go unreported, which means that Adult Protective Services, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant authorities often don't get the chance to intervene on behalf of seniors who need help. As a result, countless older adults experience a poorer quality of life and worse health outcomes than they otherwise would. (For victims of elder abuse, the risk of premature death is estimated to be three times higher than for seniors who haven't been abused, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.)
How Many Types of Elder Abuse Are There?
Elder abuse can take several different forms. And some seniors experience multiple kinds of abuse at the same time.
Here are 7 types of elder abuse that are among the most commonly reported:
Financial exploitation: Also known as financial abuse, this type of mistreatment can involve scams, fraud, coercion, theft, or improper use of a senior's money, property, or other valuable resources. It affects about 1 in 18 cognitively healthy, non-institutionalized seniors every year. However, the prevalence rate among all seniors may be much higher than that. Essentially, financial exploitation of an elderly person is any intentional act in which a perpetrator improperly reaps financial benefits at the expense of a victim's livelihood or well-being. Perpetrators often get their victims to trust them by using deception or providing offers of help that are based on false pretenses. They also may use scare tactics or make wildly overstated claims in order to get seniors to give them money or hand over control of their assets. Many scams involve telemarketing, but most financial abuse is carried out by people that seniors already know and trust, such as family members and service professionals.
Neglect: This type of abuse happens when a vulnerable senior is deprived of essential necessities like food, water, medical treatment, proper clothing, or a safe, clean, and comfortable living environment. Neglect in the elderly is often intentional, perpetrated as a way to exert power, push a senior toward an earlier death, or coerce a senior into signing away his or her financial assets. But neglect can also happen unintentionally as a result of caregiving failures caused by factors like improper training, a lack of resources, or mental or physical problems that impact a caregiver's ability to do his or her job.
Emotional abuse: Also known as psychological abuse, this kind of mistreatment harms a senior's mental health. Perpetrators may ridicule, humiliate, blame, yell at, or threaten their victims. Or they may employ more passive-aggressive tactics like shunning their victims, holding back affection, or remaining silent and disinterested in the face of pleas for help or attempts at reconciliation. Emotional abuse is sometimes used as a way to bully and pressure a senior into doing something that is against his or her wishes or best interests.
Physical abuse: Willful infliction of bodily pain or injury can happen to almost any senior, especially a vulnerable elder. Physical abuse can take many forms: Pushing, slapping, punching, choking, kicking, pulling hair, and burning are just a few examples. It can also take the form of a perpetrator inappropriately restraining or imprisoning a victim. And some perpetrators of physical abuse give their victims incorrect or improper doses of medications, which can lead to harmful (and sometimes fatal) side effects.
Sexual abuse: Some seniors are raped, molested, or forced to participate in activities of a sexual nature without their consent. Even a conversation about sex can be considered abusive if a senior is uncomfortable or unwilling to engage in the discussion and can't get out of the situation. Sexual abuse also happens to seniors who aren't capable of giving consent, such as those who have dementia or other conditions that make them mentally or physically incapacitated.
Abandonment: Many people consider abandonment to be a form of neglect. Indeed, it could probably be classified as extreme elderly neglect. It goes beyond family estrangement. Perpetrators will intentionally desert vulnerable seniors who depend on their care, leaving them with little or no assistance—often for long stretches of time. Abandonment can greatly erode a senior's health and well-being; it can even lead to premature death. Some perpetrators have taken their victims to entirely different states and abandoned them in completely unfamiliar places where they have no support.
Rights abuse: Some seniors are denied their basic legal rights. For example, in an institution like a nursing home, abuse of this nature can involve ignoring a vulnerable senior's requests for information or blocking his or her attempts at making official complaints. It can also involve denying proper health care, social activities, privacy, or access to one's money or possessions.
Self-neglect is also a form of elder mistreatment. However, in the case of self-neglect, there is no outside perpetrator; affected seniors cause harm to themselves. They may ignore their own basic needs or even refuse essential care, which can lead to new or worsening illnesses or injuries. In some cases, self-neglect is ultimately fatal. But it isn't always caused by mental or physical decline. Many seniors are poor or socially isolated, don't have the resources to meet all of their basic needs, and don't know where to find help, which means they have to make tough choices. For instance, they may go without heat in order to pay for food and medication. Or they may deny themselves essential medications in order to stay warm.
Some people also categorize healthcare fraud as a type of elder abuse or financial exploitation. Like other types of mistreatment, healthcare fraud can take many forms. For example, dishonest medical professionals may take advantage of elderly patients by providing insufficient care yet billing Medicare or Medicaid as if those patients were given full and proper care. Or unscrupulous pharmacists may under-fill prescriptions while charging full price for them.
What Should I Do If I See, Suspect, or Experience Elder Mistreatment?
Trust what you're seeing or feeling. Elder abuse can sometimes be subjective, but it's usually better to err on the side of caution. That's even true for potential elderly neglect by family members. Your emotions may be conflicted, but choose to do what's necessary in order to protect yourself or the senior in your life who you suspect is being mistreated. Don't stay silent.
If there is an immediate danger to life, limb, or property, call 911 right away.
Otherwise, call Adult Protective Services (APS) in your state. APS exists to protect vulnerable seniors and investigate reports of alleged abuse or neglect. The APS agency in your region may have its own elder abuse hotline, allowing you to maintain confidentiality while reporting mistreatment. In many states, APS workers will:
- Evaluate the level of danger
- Take steps to ensure the safety of you or the alleged victim
- Help relieve the immediate effects of emotional trauma
- Gather evidence and assess the nature and scope of the alleged abuse
- Determine what social services may be needed
- Make arrangements for any necessary services, whether legal, financial, social, or medical in nature
Work as advocates to help protect you or the alleged victim from future harm.
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