Understanding Elder Abuse

I think this is a reblog. Its a great topic to do so. Thanks for sharing!! 

Hi, Roy. I live in a senior community, and often I see "potential" senior abuse. In our state, WA, the law requires that all caregiver licensees taking care of an elderly (considered a "Vulnerable adult") when they see something that indicates abuse, there is a mandatory report they are required to notify various agencies handling specific types of complaints or reports. 

Sometimes the abusers can be someone closest to the elder: spouse, adult children, or close relatives, for example. 

This subject of taking care of the elderly is very dear to me, and sometimes I feel the subject of abusing the elderly has not received the attention it deserves until it happens to you or someone you know.

Having someone in a care facility that I am responsible for their well being has opened my eyes to a lot of abuse.

Thanks for posting, Roy. It is a sad, sad fact of life and it makes me angry and frustrated.

When my dad passed in a care facility, he was only there for a month so it was fairly easy to monitor what went on there. My mom, on the other hand, had in-home care for the last 15 months of her life. It took several tries to get good people to watch over and assist her. Ultimately she was blessed with two different angel caregivers, both of whom we're still in contact with since my mom passed in 2015. 

Roy Kelley elderly abuse is a much bigger problem than many people think, so it is good to hear assistance is available.

This information helps inform the public about the many forms of elder abuse.  

Elder abuse is a terrible problem. Getting the word out about what it is, and how to help, is important.

Thank you for the mention and I am glad that my post inspired you to provide more information on this very serious issue.

Roy, this is the sad part of our generation, the older generation is just left, no one visits, and then abuse happens.  Just plain sad.

Hi Roy- and what an informative post. I used to place caregivers in South Florida and as Greg Mona said, it's hard to find reliable people for this kind of service. 

Roy Kelley - Thank you for raising awareness with this post. It is one of the sickest, most horrible things that can happen to the elderly. And it continues... I don't understand and wasn't surprised during the pandemic when so many seniors were locked down, no family, no religious orders to visit. I wondered what went on behind locked doors. 

When my sister put my mom inside one of those horrible places (long before the pandemic), I found out from my niece who didn't know who she was talking to - she thought I was someone else. As soon as I learned, I made a reservation and flew back to where my sister lives who was supposed to be caring for my mom. I never went to my sisters but found a place and just waltzed in without permission and found my mother in bed. The things I saw. What I heard from my mother and her room mate in the next bed made me sick. I called my sister and demanded she be released immediately. I spent the night in the chair and waited until my sister came and released her. It was an ugly sibling rivalry but glad she did the right thing. 

Elder abuse is real. It happens more frequently than people think, even to family members who did not know.