Signs of Elder Abuse You Need to Look Out For

Seniors represent around 14% of the general population – that’s one in seven of us. This puts huge pressure on services for older people, which can leave many of them vulnerable to abuse from adult children, caregivers, and other people within the community.

Nobody likes to think that an elderly person is being abused, but it can and does happen. Older people are particularly vulnerable to abuse because they can’t fight back and are less likely to complain. It is even more of a problem with dementia patients, because they usually find it difficult to convey what’s happening to them. In all cases, however, the signs will be there if you are looking for them, so here is a quick guide to spotting the signs of abuse in elderly people.

Emotional Signs

Emotional abuse is tricky to spot, particularly if the person has dementia. Usually it’s not what the person tells you. Rather, it is how they are acting towards the people who are caring for them.

Look for signs of fear, emotional withdrawal or apathy. Changes in normal behavior should also be cause for concern, especially if the person appears scared around a caregiver when they are usually happy, bright and sunny.

Physical Signs

Unexplained bruises, broken bones, lesions and burns should always be investigated. Seniors can and do have accidents, particularly if they are still living at home, but if an elderly person exhibits signs of physical abuse and a carer has no plausible explanation, you need to try and get to the bottom of what’s going on.

Neglect in the Home

Not all care homes look after their residents and not all home carergivers are compassionate or good at their job. Sometimes abuse and neglect occurs because of ignorance, but a minority of caregivers also deliberately neglect their patients out of malice or frustration.

Physical clues such as bedsores, poor personal hygiene and dirty clothes or bedding are a sign an elderly person is not receiving the right level of care. They might also be missing meals and drinks, or not receiving their medication on time.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse of elders is a taboo subject, but it happens more than we care to think about. People who sexually abuse elders do so with impunity. They don’t expect to be caught because their victim is too frail or confused to ask for help. Often the abuser is someone in a position of trust, which makes the crime even more disturbing.

Signs to look out for include unexplained bruising and/or bleeding around genital areas, depression or emotional withdrawal, and inappropriate sexual behavior by caregivers.

Financial Abuse

Abuse doesn’t have to be purely physical or emotional. Caregivers can also steal money from confused elderly people, by asking them to hand over cash cards or taking control of their personal finances for their own benefit. One way to prevent this is to ensure all caregivers undergo pre-employment background checks.

If you spot any of the above signs, contact a California elder abuse lawyer such as Garcia Law, so the person responsible