Elder abuse is a major problem that seniors face as they age. Of course it’s wrong and often avoidable if care providers, including family members, are better educated. But consider how difficult it may be for you to take care of your loved one who may be acting erratic.  Your parent may be suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s and the situation may turn into a battle of words, a wrestling match, or restraining them, which may lead to elder abuse.

Identify and Stop Elder Abuse

The problem is also bigger than most people realize.  Studies show that elder abuse, whether physical or emotional, is under-reported and that one out of ten senior citizens experiences abuse each year. In fact, caregivers have managed to protect seniors from the financial abuse often inflicted by family members and scammers. Care providers try to stop seniors from providing strangers with their personal information and having their identity compromised.

As a family member, it is your responsibility to protect your mother or father from elder abuse. When selecting a caregiver for seniors, this is the time to receive training for preventing abuse.  Anyone can be an abuser. Understanding the triggers and learning how to avoid them and protect your parent is important. One major thing to consider is how the caregiver perceives the job and how they provide the care.

Below are several other signs of elder abuse, both physical and emotional:

• Bruises, broken bones, burns abrasions, pressure marks that are unexplained can point to elder abuse. If you see possible manifestations of abuse, look more closely into their cause.
• Dirty clothes, bedsores, weight loss or overly messy home as well as a lack of medical and basic necessities like food or medication are all indications of neglect, which is a form of elder abuse.
• Forced isolation, yelling, name calling by a caregiver are all forms of emotional abuse. If your mother or father is fearful of his or her caregiver or has an extremely tense relationship with him or her, dig more deeply into the situation and start thinking about reporting the situation and/or removing the caregiver from the senior’s life.

Working with a Safe Home Care Agency

At Assisting Hands Home Care each of our caregivers are carefully screened, trained and insured for each client’s peace of mind. We are also trained to identify any signs of elder abuse so it can be stopped right away.

Give us a call at (239) 337-4263 for more information about our home care services and how we can help prevent elder abuse.