As taboo as it may seem, elderly abuse is common and according to statistics, only 1 out of 14 incidents get reported. I say, the level of awareness when it comes to elderly abuse is partly to blame. We don’t really know when and to what extent should an act of a caregiver or of the supposed “abuser” be considered as an abuse already. We just know that when there’s violence, surely there is an abuse going on, but what about those types of abuse when the elderly in question doesn’t even show signs of physical abuse such as bruises and broken bones? Here is your general guide to elderly abuse and hopefully be able to recognize signs of it before it is too late:
·    Seniors themselves don’t usually recognize these signs—not even aware that they are being abused in some way. Others are just not capable of reporting the abuse by themselves due to physical or mental limitations. It is the people around them that should be ones to keep a close eye on things.
·    Elderly abuse can also occur in nursing homes. In fact, most reported incidents came from institutions like this. In other words, don’t relax yet, knowing your elderly loved-one is in the “safety” of a nursing home! You still need to keep your radars up.
·    According to a lawyer handling elderly and senior citizen cases, there are three general categories of an elderly abuse:  domestic elder abuse, institutional elder abuse and neglect. Of the three, the second must be the hardest to control.
·    There are many types of elder abuse:  physical, psychological, financial, sexual and neglect. Just recently, the government included these three in the list:  rights abuse, self neglect and abandonment. All these are pretty much self-explanatory.
·    When physical abuse occurs, there should be bruises, broken bones, burns, cuts and everything else pertaining to the body getting harmed.
·    Known symptoms of emotional abuse are:  sudden changes in behavior, mood swings, depression and withdrawal from normal, daily activities.
·    As for neglect: malnourishment, poor hygiene and weight loss are the most common signs.
·    You would know if there’s a financial abuse going on if your beloved senior suddenly loses money for unknown reasons. It includes assets and bank accounts.
·    Physical abuse is often masked as “accidents”. If there are far too many household accidents occurring, it’s time to suspect and interfere.
·    Common abusers of seniors are the ones who are expected to closely work with them, helping them out, such as their caregiver, partners, kids—even their lawyers! If their vulnerabilities are exposed, your loved-one is at a greater risk.