A study observed that some portions of the senior population are more prone than others are when it comes to elder abuse. Abuse of any sort is tragic, but if there are some groups that are more likely to be abused than others, caregivers and families can focus their efforts at stopping it before it begins with a better sense of direction.
According to others, there are four groups of seniors that are at a heightened risk of elder abuse. These include seniors with dementia, those with a disability, socially isolated seniors, and females. Current observation and the results of other studies also indicate a fifth group–non-native English speakers.
Why are these groups targeted? Most likely, it’s because they are vulnerable. People with dementia, disabilities, difficulty communicating, or are facing isolation will naturally have a harder time speaking out against their abuser. Females, sadly, are often targeted for abuse throughout their lives.
Knowing who is likely to be abused is not enough. Action steps are needed to make sure that it never happens to the people that you love. This can happen in many ways. You should be careful about who is hired to work with your loved one as a caregiver. You should be careful who has access to your loved one’s financial information. And you should always take time to sit down and talk with your family about concerns or questions that they have. Sometimes abuse is accidental and comes from not having enough guidance when it comes to how someone should be cared for.
Elder abuse occurs when a senior is taken advantage of, hurt, or neglected by someone else. Sometimes this can be a family member, a caregiver, or a complete stranger. Abuse can be physical, emotional, financial, sexual, or come in the form of neglect. There are a lot of different ways in which abuse can occur, but they all end with the same result: someone that doesn’t deserve to be hurt is hurt.
This is something that we take very seriously, and it’s something that you should, too. We ensure that all of our caregivers are not just trained to prevent abuse from happening, but they also know how to spot the warning signs of it. Each one of our employees undergoes a thorough background check before they are hired to make sure that they have no history of abuse, too. We also provide ongoing training to make sure that they are up to date with the latest trends in care so that the people that you love are given the best treatment possible.
Abuse is one of those things that should never happen. It’s something that is much better prevented than addressed after the fact. Knowing what abuse is, how to prevent it, and what to do just in case it does occur is a big part of senior care. If you’d like to learn more about how abuse can be stopped, please contact us so we can help point you in the right direction.
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