It’s not easy to spot an abused senior. These cruel acts certainly don’t happen outside of home; it always occurs during private moments, when seniors are left alone with their abusers. I’ve come across several cases in which their loved-ones, the ones who truly care for them, are the last ones to know and often times, it’s a little too late for them to intervene as the damage has already been done.
One of the known factors which triggers such hatred and anger toward frail and defenseless seniors is frustration. When a person is blinded by frustrating tasks and seemingly endless chores, it’s really easy to divert fury to a senior who are incapable of defending himself, much less tell others of what the abuser did. Seniors seldom tell, they usually just take it all in, believing they really are a nuisance and the abuser has all the right in the world to do such inhuman acts when in truth, it’s their abusers who deserve to be punished and jailed!
What’s more amusing is that an abuser knows no color, intention or relation, contrary to popular notion that only hired help abuses seniors. They can be someone whom the seniors trust dearly, a relative, a partner, and even their own family. They just manifest without a warning. Also, they come in many forms. Do take note that an abuse has been made if there are verbal and physical attacks made to the senior in question. Also, the term also applies if someone is trying to transfer senior’s assets to their names, either by manipulation, threats or falsification of documents.
In general, taking advantage of a senior’s poor and helpless situation is automatically called or defined as an abuse. There are different types of elderly abuse:
• Physical abuse. Easiest to spot. There will be, at the very least, bruises.
• Emotional abuse. If an action causes a senior some emotional discomforts and the abuser is certainly benefiting from the situation, it’s automatically an abuse. It’s either yelling, threatening, hateful words, and blaming or the other way around such as ignoring a senior, even if he is in dire need.
• Sexual abuse. Yes, it happens.
• Fraud and scams to financially benefit from seniors. Aside from the traditional transferring of funds, some cases were reported to be committed by health care providers themselves. Since seniors and their families trust and respect these people, it’s easy to get money from them for unnecessary services and referrals.
Most of the reported cases were from concerned neighbors, people who are quick to notice that something is not right. It’s very unlikely for seniors to report themselves in cases like these, it means, if we ignore silent pleas from them, the abuse will just go on and on. If you’re in doubt about a situation, or you refuse to acknowledge your suspicion, it’s best to talk separately to both the senior and caregiver to find out more about their situation. Sometimes, all they need is your help.
