Elder abuse is a serious problem in America, with 1 out of every 20 senior citizens becoming victims of household or institutional violence. A justice witness in Maryland described the situation as follows: “Many forms of verbal and psychological abuse appear relatively harmless at first, but expand and grow more menacing over time, sometimes gradually and subtly. As victims adapt to abusive behavior, the verbal or psychological tactics can gain a strong ‘foothold’ in victims’ minds, making it difficult for them to recognize the severity of the abuse over time.”

Chances are you have already made the decision to put your mother or father into an institution that can best care for their later life needs. Perhaps you felt guilty about it, but deep down knew you couldn’t handle the stress and time-consumption of being an at-home caregiver. You want to be sure all of your parent’s needs are being met and that he or she is happy, although seniors aren’t always candid about being abused; perhaps out of fear, humiliation, ignorance of the signs, deep depression or the normalization of violence. Therefore, it’s up to you to watch out for symptoms of abusive relationships within the nursing home.

Victims of physical elder abuse often have cuts, bruises or other injuries that do not seem to match with their stories and they may have repeated “accidents.” Often, they appear withdrawn, isolated or confess that they are fearful. Some elders try to communicate using coded language. They may attempt or contemplate suicide or abuse medication and substances. They may be difficult to get along with, suddenly angry or sullen. They may have chronic, non-specific complaints or feel emotionally dependent upon the abuser. Some elders miss doctor’s appointments, delay seeking medical help or show signs of depression or trauma.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, November 8th, 2008 at 11:48 am and is filed under Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.