Awareness is the best weapon against
elder abuse.
An elderly woman is left alone in her darkened room for days or weeks by an indifferent caretaker. When investigators find her, she has bed sores that go down to the bone, she is covered in her own waste and she is fighting for her life.
AT A GLANCE
1 in 5 individuals in the U.S. is aged 60+
1 in 13 older persons will be abused, neglected, and/or financially exploited
Only 1 in 44 elder financial abuse cases is ever reported to law enforcement
For every case of elder abuse known to authorities, 24 are uknown
AT A GLANCE
AT A GLANCE
AT A GLANCE
An older man is beaten by his drug-addicted son, who then cleans out the elder’s bank account and maxes out his credit cards to feed his addiction. He leaves his father helpless and destitute. Local county prosecutors and those working in adult protective services hear painful stories like these every day. And officials say the frequency of these incidents is growing exponentially as our population ages and the stress of daily life increases.
In California, Adult Protective Services receives more than 15,000 reports of elder and dependent adult abuse every month, which adds up to more than 200,000 cases every year. Even so, incidents go largely underreported. The California Association of Area Agencies for Aging says that for every case known to authorities, 24 are unknown, and that number is almost doubled when it comes to the even quieter cases of financial abuse.
01
PHYSICAL ABUSE AND NEGLECT
PHYSICAL ABUSE AND NEGLECT
EMOTIONAL ABUSE
FINANCIAL ABUSE
SELF NEGLECT
To make matters worse, the Agency on Aging Area 4 (AAA4) in Sacramento says the situation was made worse by the coronavirus, when the elderly and at-risk adults with disabilities were encouraged to shelter in place, making it more difficult for families and neighbors to check in on them.
Fortunately, we can all help prevent abuse of elders and adults with disabilities by being vigilant and frequently checking in on our loved ones. All people regardless of age or ability deserve equal and fair treatment. To help us know what to look for, the Agency on Aging Area 4 has released some helpful guidelines on spotting five types of abuse of elders and adults with disabilities:
Say you’re on FaceTime with your grandmother, and you notice a bruise on her face or the remnants of a black eye. Or you happen to see your elderly neighbor out for a walk and notice that she is limping, possibly due to a sprain or broken bone. These are some potential signs of physical abuse, according prosecutors.
Physical abuse and neglect are the types of elder abuse that most people think of—when a relative, spouse, roommate or caregiver intentionally or negligently inflicts bodily harm. Prosecutors say it’s the kind of abuse that is most likely to be reported. If you are concerned about a friend or loved one, they suggest you look for signs such as cuts, welts or other markings, for sudden changes in behavior or a caregiver’s refusal to leave older or dependent adult alone. Such behavior suggests the caregiver is trying to prevent the victim from reporting them.
“Who are the elder folks around the most? Their families,” says Sacramento County Elder Abuse Unit Prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney Frederick Gotha. “I would say most of my cases, probably much higher than 50 percent, are family members or friends and loved ones who are perpetuating the abuse in some fashion.”
Gotha also says that physical abuse isn’t limited to intentional harm. It can also include neglect—when a caretaker doesn’t take the necessary steps to care for and protect an older adult. Neglect isn’t limited to leaving the older adult in bed, unfed, un-medicated and unturned. Gotha says he has seen cases in which older adults have drowned in swimming pools because there was no protective fencing.
Negligence also includes a lack of proper training. For instance, Gotha says he has seen cases in which open flames were allowed around oxygen tanks, resulting in the death of an elder.
02
EMOTIONAL ABUSE
"I would say most of my cases,
probably much higher than 50 percent,
are family members or friends and
loved ones who are perpetuating the abuse in some fashion."
An adult daughter might make a habit of threatening physical harm to her elderly father, or a spouse might insult, humiliate or make inappropriate sexual comments to his elderly wife. Experts say these are forms of emotional abuse.
Emotional abuse also takes the form of isolation, including preventing the person from receiving mail, phone calls or visitors. This was often exacerbated by social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Oftentimes, when someone is being abused, the abuser doesn’t want anyone to know, and they’ll isolate the older adults,” says Pam Miller, executive director of AAA4. “The elder often doesn’t understand why they’re being isolated.”
Another form of emotional abuse affects LGBTQ adults, who often feel the need to conceal their sexual identity when moving into long-term care facilities. They may go back into “the closet” due to a fear of discrimination or bullying by staff and other residents.
While 80% of the general population rely on legal- or blood-related family members for caregiving, LGBT people are twice as likely to live alone and four times less likely to have children. Their reliance on long-term care services is potentially steep. Yet, when surveyed, nearly nine out of 10 people feared discrimination in long-term care settings if providers knew their sexual orientation or gender identities. (SAGECare 2019).
03
FINANCIAL ABUSE
Exploitation and use of an elderly person’s money, property or other assets can take many forms. Two became especially prevalent during the pandemic, according to experts.
As older adults are increasingly isolated, scammers ramped up their efforts to take advantage of them through the phone and Internet. Yolo County prosecutors say a prevalent scheme involved older adults getting a call from someone claiming to work for the U.S. Census and asking for the victim’s personal information. According AAA4, scammers are also contacting older adults with promises of COVID-19 treatments and prevention methods, from aromatherapy and teas, to essential oils and fake vaccines.
Financial abuse may also involve family members. Some look to influence the elderly to change their will. Others simply move in under the cover of caring for their older relative while they take advantage of them.
“There are family members who move in with grandma and grandpa,” says Maxine Krugman, founder of Sacramento Senior Safe House, a temporary emergency shelter for older adults suffering from abuse. “Some of them don’t have their best interests at heart.”
“Oftentimes, when someone is being abused, the abuser doesn’t want anyone to know, and they’ll isolate the older adults. The elder often doesn’t understand why they’re being isolated.”
“there are family members who move in with grandma and grandpa. Some of them don’t have their best interests at heart.”
04
SEXUAL ABUSE
Sexual abuse of older adults generally involves sexual contact with a nonconsenting adult, but it can also occur when the elder is incapable of consent due to physical or mental health condition. Warning signs are unusual bruises on the thighs and chest, unexplained sexually transmitted diseases, unusual stains on clothes or bedding, withdrawal from social interactions and panic attacks.
05
SELF-NEGLECT
During the coronavirus pandemic, when at-risk older adults were afraid to leave their homes for medical appointments and could not be visited by family members, they may have let self-care slide. If you learn that your grandmother isn’t taking her medicine or eating regularly, or if your elderly uncle appears to have stopped bathing regularly, it might be time to intervene.
“Some elders are depressed and just stop eating properly,” says Krugman. “They don’t take their pills. Who is taking them to the doctor? For seniors living by themselves, what do they do? If they finally make that phone call, they’re put on hold or they’re talked over.”
Other warning signs include an unusually messy or cluttered home, dirty clothes and changes in personal hygiene. Also keep an eye out for lack of food, water and medications.
SEXUAL ABUSE
"Some elders are depressed and just stop eating properly. They don’t take their pills. Who is taking them to the doctor? For seniors living by themselves, what do they do? If they finally make that phone call, they’re put on hold or they’re talked over.”
TAKE ACTION: KNOW ABUSE, REPORT ABUSE
If you notice any of these warning signs, don’t hesitate to call Adult Protective Services or the office of the California State Long-term Care Ombudsman, which looks into reports of mistreatment at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Contact your local Long-Term Care Ombudsman program if you see or suspect abuse of an older adult or person with a disability in a skilled nursing facility or residential care community.
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LONG-TERM CARE
OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM
(916) 376-8910 or the 24-hour crisis line at (800) 231-4024.
Nevada County: (888) 339-7248
Placer County: (888) 886-5401
Sacramento County: (916) 874-9377
Sierra County: (530) 289-3720
Sutter County: (530) 822-7227
Yolo County: (530) 661-2727
Yuba County: (530) 749-6471
Experts agree that the key to combating all types of elder abuse is vigilance. It’s crucial to stay in touch with our elderly loved ones. When possible, teach them how to use FaceTime or other video chat applications, so that you can get a better sense of how they look and how their house is being kept. Make sure they’re feeling well, and if they are not, help them seek medical aid or set up a telemedicine appointment online. Pay attention to both what they say and how they say it. And if you can’t be there in person, find a caring neighbor who can look in on them from time to time.
“It’s really important that neighbors look out for neighbors,” says Miller. “We strongly recommend that if someone sees something, say something. Don’t hesitate to get involved.”
You can find a full list of services and contacts at the Agency on Aging Area 4 website. And in case of emergencies, you can always dial 9-1-1.
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