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Elder abuse is devastating for victims and their family members. Unfortunately, elder abuse is much more common than most people realize, though incidents of elder abuse are vastly under-reported in the United States. Elder abuse can occur in many situations, including inside medical facilities, in assisted living facilities, as well as in a person’s home. Here, we want to discuss the seven types of elder abuse that occur on a regular basis.
The National Council on Aging states that approximately 10% of all people over the age of 60 experience some form of elderly abuse each year. Regardless of the type of elder abuse, the consequences can be devastating. This includes serious physical injuries as well as emotional pain and suffering.
Physical elder abuse refers to the intentional use of force against an elderly person that causes direct physical harm, leading to pain and even death.
There are various warning signs of physical elder abuse, including:
Additionally, other signs of physical elder abuse could include a change in the alleged victim’s behavior or personality.
Sexual elder abuse refers to any forced or unwanted sexual interaction of any kind with an elderly adult. This includes sexual contact with elders who have Alzheimer’s, dementia, or any other disability that prevents them from consenting to a sexual act.
Sexual abuse can have various physical and behavioral signs, including the following:
Psychological and emotional abuse includes any intentional actions that inflict mental fear, pain, or distress on an elderly person. This can include insulting or intimidating an elderly person, as well as calling an elderly person names or attempting to humiliate them. Emotional and psychological abuse can also include isolating a resident or preventing them from the resources they have the right to.
There are various signs of emotional elder abuse, including the elderly person:
Elder financial abuse includes the unauthorized, improper, or illegal use of an elderly person’s resources. Elder financial abuse is almost always committed by someone in a trusting or fiduciary relationship with the elderly person.
Some of the signs of elderly financial abuse include:
Elder neglect occurs anytime a caregiver fails to provide the elderly person with their basic needs or fails to protect an elderly person from harm. Neglect is more than just a simple accident. This is a result of a systematic carelessness or lack of regard for the well being of the elderly person.
Examples of elderly neglect can include failing to adequately provide:
Elder abandonment is often associated with elder neglect, and this can occur when a person who has assumed the care of an elderly person intentionally deserts them. This type of behavior is not always obvious, such as leaving our person at home without anyone else to care for them. This can include a caretaker leaving an elderly person at a hospital, nursing home, or other type of facility without any type of formal agreement or with other relatives or friends who do not agree to be caregivers.
Self-neglect is one of the most overlooked forms of elder abuse. This occurs when an elderly person is no longer able to meet their basic needs but fails to make arrangements to have those needs met by others.
The most common signs of elder self-neglect include a person:
If you suspect that your loved one has been the victim of elder abuse, you need to contact the appropriate authorities as soon as possible. This includes reporting any evidence of elder abuse to law enforcement officials immediately so that steps can be taken to ensure the safety of the victim. There are also various state agencies that may need to be notified if the elder abuse took place at an assisted living facility or other type of medical facility.
You should work with an attorney as soon as possible who has experience handling elder abuse cases. An attorney will be able to help secure compensation for a victim’s medical expenses, the cost to relocate to a new facility, coverage of pain and suffering damages, and possible punitive damages against the alleged abuser.
A skilled elder abuse attorney is going to be necessary to successfully pursue the perpetrators of abuse. Elder abuse victims deserve compensation for what has happened to them, but these cases can become complicated. An elder abuse lawyer will have the resources and legal expertise necessary to conduct a complete investigation into the incident, gather the necessary evidence, prove liability, and negotiate a fair settlement. You do not have to go after the perpetrators of this abuse alone.
If your elderly loved one is being abused or mistreated, learn how our attorney can help you. You can reach us by calling (562) 372-6904 or using the form below.
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