According to an article published by Cornell University, more than 10 percent of senior citizens are at a high risk for suffering from elder abuse. In New York State, that equals about 360,000 people, a terrifyingly high number. Luckily, their information just wasn’t pointing to the prevalence of senior abuse. It also identified risk factors, helping those of us involved in the business to do a better job of pinpointing just who is at a greater risk of abuse. With this information, the hope is that greater steps can be taken to put an end to this.
Two of the big warning signs for elder abuse were a recent transition into living alone and poor health. So, for example, a woman whose husband has recently passed away tends to be at a higher risk of abuse than average. A man who has suffered a heart attack and needs assistance while he regains his strength is in a similar situation.
Previously, a lot of this information was unknown. The researchers behind the project stated that they hope that bringing more awareness to the subject can provide vulnerable seniors with more protections moving forward. One of the first steps to ending the abuse is to be aware that it’s happening and know how to spot it.
Race and culture also plays a role when it comes to abuse. Black seniors are at a higher risk of experiencing financial abuse than other races, according to research. Previously, experts in the care industry were unaware that this disparity in quality of life existed, but it’s not altogether surprising, either. As mentioned above, one of the reasons why seniors are targeted for abuse of any sort is because they are a vulnerable population. Minorities tend to be even more separated from social supports than others, especially as they age. This places them in a position where they might be trampled on by others a bit more frequently.
Elder abuse is a huge problem because it impacts some of the most vulnerable people in our population. Senior care is a thing because these are individuals who can’t do the same things that they used to be able to and can’t take care of themselves on their own like they once did. It is because they are vulnerable that senior care exists, and it’s because they are vulnerable that some people target this population when it comes to their own personal gain. If anything, the fact that abuse exists means that we need to be even more vigilant when it comes to the care that we give. It makes what we do that much more important.
Internationally, abuse tends to be even more prevalent. Unfortunately, this occurs more often in areas where laws and social structures don’t always protect the vulnerable in the way that they do here.
We each can do our own small part to fight this. It starts by being aware of the issue and knowing the warning signs. From there, we can be more preventative in our actions and protect those we love.
Leave a Reply