Elder Abuse

Articles

Elder Abuse

By Amanda Baker
Sept. 12, 2007

A recent thing has come to my attention. It is a personal matter but I think I can shed some light on this issue in a national way. The topic is elder abuse.

Elder Abuse is on the rise in this country.

With the aging population, more and more elderly are being abused, taken advantage of and neglected.

So what is elder abuse-

The answer is copied from the following website- http://www.elderabusecenter.org

"Elder abuse is a term referring to any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. The specificity of laws varies from state to state, but broadly defined, abuse may be:

Physical Abuse - Inflicting, or threatening to inflict, physical pain or injury on a vulnerable elder, or depriving them of a basic need.

Emotional Abuse - Inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elder person through verbal or nonverbal acts.

Sexual Abuse - Non-consensual sexual contact of any kind.

Exploitation - Illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a vulnerable elder.

Neglect - Refusal or failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care or protection for a vulnerable elder.

Abandonment - The desertion of a vulnerable elder by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person."

These things done to our elderly are not acceptable. It is as bad as abusing a child in my opinion. An elderly man or woman deserves to live with dignity. It is not right to abuse a person who contributed to society.

This article will get me in trouble. But I need to inform the public that this exists. My personal matter will be resolved but not by myself, which means I am contributing to the abuse of a family member. But I have no chioce, the abusers threatened and chastised me. After giving birth to my daughters and taking care of my son, I don't have the strength to fight. And this makes me ashamed.

If you see elder abuse report it to social services, please.

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About the author: Amanda Baker is a long time contributor of Useless Knowledge.

Email: amaycatbaker@yahoo.com

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