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Elder Abuse affects people of every social, economic, and religious background impacting both men and women. It is similar to other forms of domestic violence and may include physical violence, sexual assault, emotional, and psychological. Elder survivors also face fear of abandonment, financial exploitation, and neglect.
The movement to research and better understand elder abuse is still relatively new. And while there has been some progress in understanding, there is still much to learn, specifically in the areas of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Elder survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault face unique barriers:
- Social isolation, mental impairment, and physical limitations may make an elder survivor more vulnerable to abuse and less able to seek safety.
- Survivors may be totally or partially dependent on the abuser for daily care needs, including meals, daily hygiene care, mobility, and access to medication.
- Survivors may depend on abuser for basic survival needs such as shelter, access to funds, and food.
- Survivors of elder abuse may experience shame, fear, embarrassment, anxiety, confusion, and guilt.
- Due to grief and life losses elder survivors may experience increased depression and withdrawal.
Elder abuse is physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual:
Physical abuse is:
- Physical force that results in injury, impairment, or pain.
- Shaking, hitting, slapping, pulling hair, or pushing.
- Spitting, burning, force-feeding, or kicking.
- Physical punishment, restraining, refusing physical assistance, and refusing food.
- Inappropriate use of drugs and physical restraints.
- Rough handling during care giving.
Emotional & Physiological abuse is:
- Verbal or nonverbal act that inflicts emotional pain or distress.
- Ignoring and isolating the survivor.
- Name-calling, ridiculing, scapegoating or blaming.
- Threatening to punish or deprive, intimidating.
- Yelling and screaming.
- Isolating from family, friends, or regular activities.
- Inappropriate joking and teasing.
- Stealing or withholding valuables.
- Withholding needed assistance.
Sexual Abuse is:
- Sexual contact with an elder without that person's consent.
- Coerced nudity.
- Fondling, touching, or kissing.
- Forcing elder to witness sexual acts.
- Spying on the elder in the bathroom or bedroom.
- Touching with out notification or consent.
- Sexual assault of any type.
- Showing pornographic material.
- Coercion to perform sexual acts.
- Photographing the elder in sexually explicit ways.
Links
State of Oregon:
www.oregon.gov
www.co.washington.or.us/DEPTMTS/aging/eldabuse.htm
www.oregoncounseling.org/Handouts/ElderAbuse.htm
National:
Abuse
and Neglect of the Elderly (CANE)
Elder
Abuse Fatality Review Teams (PDF)
Family
Violence Prevention Fund
Mending
the Sacred Hoop
National
Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence
National
Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA)
NCEA
Directory of Elder Abuse Coalitions and Tasks Forces
National
Domestic Abuse in Later Life Resource Directory (NCALL)
National
Domestic Violence Hotline
National
Network to End Domestic Violence
National
Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV)
Rural
Victimization Project Elder Abuse Tutorial
Stop
Abuse For Everyone (SAFE)
VAWnet:
Domestic Abuse in Later Life
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