Elder abuse could be physical, emotional, financial or sexual. California also considers neglect and exploitation of an elderly person as abuse. You should know what signs to watch for to help protect your loved ones.
Behavioral changes
Negative behavioral changes are sometimes mistakenly brushed off as natural aging or an aging-related illness. In reality, it’s often a sign of abuse. Many people feel too embarrassed or scared to open up to their loved ones about the abuse that they’re going through. Because they’re bottling it up inside, it affects their behavior and mood. They may withdraw from you and their other loved ones. Depression and anxiety are common symptoms. You may also notice that they have become more hesitant about speaking.
Injuries
Bruises, cuts, scrapes, pressure sores and welts are common physical signs of elder abuse. Be open to considering those seemingly minor injuries are actually from abuse. Nursing homes sometimes lie about the cause of a resident’s injury to cover up neglect or violence. Other warning signs of physical elder abuse are burns, broken bones, concussions and head injuries.
Unexpected transactions
If your loved one has strange or unusual financial transactions in their bank statements, then someone may be financially abusing them. Large sums of money could be missing. They might not be able to access their financial accounts. If you have noticed that they aren’t able to meet their needs anymore, then someone could be financially abusing them.
STDs
Sexually transmitted diseases could mean that your loved one is going through sexual abuse. Bruising around their thighs or genitals are other warning signs of sexual abuse. Pay attention to the relationship between them and their caregiver. If the caregiver seems inappropriate, then they may be sexually abusing them. Pain, irritation and bleeding of the genitals are other symptoms of sexual abuse.
People sometimes overlook signs of elder abuse because they think that they are normal symptoms of aging. While it’s true that a bruise could have come from an accident, you must stay aware and open to the possibility that something sinister is going on.