Elder abuse is slowly but surely gaining widespread recognition.
Unfortunately, a lot of this recognition is not good in its nature. It seems like every week another story emerges about someone taking advantage of an older adult. These kinds of stories tend to get a lot of attention because they are tragic. No one should ever be exposed to conditions like this.
Financial abuse of seniors also seems to be on the rise. According to the AARP, $28 billion is fraudulently taken from seniors each year. Most experts believe that this number is likely much lower than what actually occurs, simply because many seniors never know that they’ve been scammed. Unfortunately, this is one of the pitfalls of the cognitive difficulties and dementia that can occur within the elderly population. It makes seniors a prime target of scammers.
With that in mind, a rise in reported cases of elder abuse isn’t necessarily a bad thing. To be one hundred percent clear: elder abuse is absolutely terrible. There’s no excuse for it to ever happen. But a rise in reports doesn’t necessarily mean a rise in occurrences. It can be as simple as more people recognizing what elder abuse is and taking steps to put an end to it. It could mean that more people are aware of abuse, what it looks like, and are taking the right steps to prevent it from happening and are reporting it.
These stories are horrible, but they play a cautionary role for all of us. Abuse can and does happen daily. Do you know what to do if you suspect it’s happening?
In reality, the most likely situation is that there is both a rise in occurrences and reports. Again, this is a tragic, heartbreaking thing. No one should ever have to go through abuse of any sort. But the fact that more and more people are aware of it and taking steps to formally report it is encouraging. It shows that there is hope on the horizon for this to be more publicly acknowledged and condemned. It shows that campaigns to protect seniors around the world are effective.
It’s important to keep in mind that the elderly folk being abused are real people. You might not know them, but they are someone’s mom or dad, or someone’s grandparent. They are people that have families, friends, and loved ones. They are people and they are being taken advantage of for the benefit of other people.
What can you do to help prevent this from happening? Well, first, knowing the signs of what abuse looks like can help. It can go a long way toward protecting those close to you. You can also ensure that any care service that you are considering using holds staff and caregivers accountable. This should take the form of background checks, ongoing training, and support.
We do all of this, and more, when it comes to enabling our caregivers to give great care to our community. If you’d like to learn more about how we do this, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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