According to the World Health Organization, only about one out of every 24 cases of elder abuse are ever reported to the authorities.
Why is this?
Like many other questions, there are different answers to this question. However, we can look at a few of them and get a better understanding of the mentality that goes on here. Hopefully by doing this, we can help you and your family to better identify and eliminate the potential for any sort of abuse in your proximity.
One of the big reasons why elder abuse goes unreported is because of fear and intimidation. No one wants to make a situation worse for themselves. No one wants to feel the embarrassment of having to admit that they are being taken advantage of and can’t do anything about it. So if someone is being abused, oftentimes, they will not report it because they think it will get worse if they do. Or, if they report it and they are believed, they might face ridicule or be thought less of.
This is a real concern for a lot of older people. Not only does abuse take advantage of someone, it can be dehumanizing. Nobody deserves that.
Additionally, abuse often goes unreported because people don’t understand what constitutes senior abuse. It’s not always as easy as seeing bruises on someone and knowing that they are being hurt by someone they should be able to trust. Abuse takes a lot of different forms, including neglect. It’s not always easy to spot. And because of this, sometimes abuse can happen close to you and you might not ever be aware of it.
Because of this, everyone should know the warning signs of elder abuse. If you’re not sure what these signs are, please take a few minutes to look it up. There are some great resources on the web, including some blog posts here at Paradise In-Home Care.
Abuse is never acceptable. The sad truth is though, that a lot of people grow up in a culture of abuse, not really knowing that other outcomes are possible. There’s a reason why those in the social work and mental health fields talk about a circle of abuse. If someone is abused by their parents, there’s a much higher likelihood that they will grow up to abuse their children, too. Many don’t ever think about this or do it on purpose, so to speak. It’s just how they’ve learned to live life.
Yes, some abuse happens because of that circle of abuse, but not all of it. Elder abuse is tough because it can often be really hard to connect the abuser to the person being hurt. The good news is that there are ways to end this cycle of abuse for children and seniors.
Elder abuse might be hard to detect, but there are always warning signs. There’s always something that can be done.
One place to start is with a professional care team that takes abuse seriously. If you’d like to learn more about how care can help prevent abuse, please feel free to reach out. We’d love to talk more.
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