Six Different Types Of Elder Abuse

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention standardly defines elder abuse as “any abuse and neglect of persons age 60 or older by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust” (CDC, Elder Abuse). It is always thought that the elderly are treated with honor, dignity and respect but many of the elderly have been abused and neglected as much if not worse than the children we spoke of in our previous discussions. Who seriously could hurt these frail people, someone’s grandparents, possibly even your own; persons who because of the aging process have lost their ability to fight back and are being bullied or attacked by someone in a position of trust. It is estimated that 70% to 90% of the perpetrators of elderly

Many cases family members are the ones committing elder abuse, they think taking money from the elders is fine, what do they need it for? However, that’s not the case. The money does not belong to them; therefore they do not have the right to be touching that money, which is considered financial abuse.

There are certain groups of individuals that appear to be most at risk of abuse than others, and therefore more vulnerable. Vulnerable adults can be abused in different ways for different reasons.

Do you have a loved one in a nursing home? Imagine if your grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, mom, dad or other loved one was being abused. How would this make you feel? Abuse does not necessarily mean physical abuse (hitting, scratching, pulling hair, etc.). Other types of abuse include sexual, neglect, exploitation, emotional, abandonment, and self-neglect.

What are the risk factors of elder financial exploitation? In a study conducted by the University of Virginia, there are four predominant types of elder maltreatment. This includes pure financial exploitation (PFE), physical abuse, neglect by others or self, and hybrid financial exploitation (HFE). PFE is elder financial exploitation without any other abuse cited. PFE is usually conducted by unknown individuals to the elderly victim, as in mortgage or home improvement scams. HFE is a combination of elder financial exploitation that includes neglect and/or abuse. HFE usually occurs when the victim is dependent on their caregiver who has power and authority over them. This study addressed the understudied societal problems of financial

Firstly, financial abuse is defined as the illegal or improper use of funds or assets that do not belong to oneself (British Columbia Law Institute, 2011). In a NBC article by Herb Weisbaum (2011), he talks about why the elderly become targets of financial abuse, “Con artists also prey on older people, because as a group they control a tremendous amount of this country’s wealth. And in many cases, poor health — both physical and mental — makes them easy targets for financial predators” (para.

Abuse can happen to anyone, but elderly adults residing in nursing homes are more vulnerable and have a higher risk for abuse (Rasansky Law Firm, 2006, para. 1). Elders are among the fastest growing in the population, and because of this many more elderly

Financial elder abuse has become an epidemic because it is a crime that lives in the shadows, and as long as it remains there, the list of victims is sure to grow. Approximately 12% of the cases reported to the National Center on Elder Abuse relate to finances, and the cost to the elderly and vulnerable victim averages $30,000. It is impossible to get accurate numbers on the radically underreported crime since the victims feels shame or are afraid of losing autonomy. Some estimates put the rate of reporting at just 1 in 44 cases of financial fraud.

Children and young adults are also vulnerable sometimes just as much to physical, sexual, grooming and emotional abuse. This could be for several different reasons, we like to think the elderly are more educated and have life experiences that children don’t and are still developing but along that path this makes these individuals for those reason’s alone vulnerable to different kinds of abuse.

Over the years, elder people are being abused, mistreated, and exploited. These victims are people who are of age, weak, and hopeless who cannot defend themselves. Men and women are abuse by their caregivers, family, friends and etc. Elder abuse refer to any know mistreatment or negligent by any person that is causing harm or a serious risk of maltreatment to a hopeless adult. Elder abuse can take numerous forms such as emotional, physical, financial, neglect, sexual and etc. What are the signs of elder abuse and how many people are suffering from elder abuse in the U.S.? How can anyone tell if someone is being abusive? What should be done if someone suspect elder abuse?

When an individual is vulnerable they could be at more risk of experiencing some form of abuse. This could happen within family, or an organisation, abuse to a vulnerable individual is more likely to be done by people they know rather than strangers. The national council on ageing stated that “In almost 60% of elder abuse and neglect incidents, the perpetrator is a family member.” (NCOA, 2015.). When individuals are vulnerable, especially when they are older, family members can take advantage of that, and abuse individuals in different forms, financial abuse is something that can happen often to the elderly, and is done by those closest to

(1) There are several interesting issues that the documentary addresses. One of them being the suggestion that our understanding of elder abuse lies decades behind that of child abuse. Edwin Walker states that, "in the field of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, we are 40 years behind that of Child Protective Services" (Npt, 2017). Also, elder abuse is underreported. Apparently, it is estimated that one in ten adults over the age of 60 is a victim and that “there are over five million elder abuse victims in the U.S, which is more than the combined total of child abuse victims and domestic violence victims” (2017). But of course, there is no way to be 100 percent sure of the actual numbers of older adults being abused. Furthermore,

Financial abuse is another common form of elder abuse that occurs when a caretaker is an opportunist and the victim cannot process or understand what is going on. This is frequently perpetrated by caretakers who are either family members or hired on to take over the responsibility of caring for these helpless seniors (Bartle-Haring, Slesnick, & Carmona, 2015).

Elder abuse is an act or a lack of action that results in harm, physical pain, impairement or loss in an older person. Abuse can take many forms such as withholding food, water, care, medication and shelter, isolating and restraining the elderly without medical reasons, it can also be intentional or unintentional neglect.

Two organizations have highlighted the concern of elder abuse. They believe the elderly should be educated in how to protect themselves from financial abuse. The elderly are constantly relying on others to help them with their finances when they