Elder abuse is not that visible to people at all. In fact, these episodes may seem as a symptom of dementia or frailty at first. But even if that is the case, you should never dismiss it as it is.
Comfort and Care Health Services LLC is a home health agency in Chillicothe Ohio. In our line of work, we come face to face with the elderly, their families, and their potential caregivers. We exist in order to combat unfortunate circumstances. Elder abuse is one event we greatly frown upon.
How does one tell if their elderly is already experiencing elder abuse? How do you know if the person you trust with your senior is the suspect of the abuse? Below are some of the general signs your elderly is already experiencing abuse:
- Personality or behavioral changes
When we speak about behavioral or personality changes, we often dismiss it as dementia or other mental illnesses. Turns out, you need stop jumping into conclusions.
Seek the help of healthcare professionals. They will perform various tests to see if nothing is wrong with the physical well-being of the elderly family member. You can also see a psychologist to look into the case. Not all changes in one’s personality and behavior are related to mental or physical illnesses.
- Recurrent tension and/or arguments
A caregiver is expected to provide care. In that note, the elderly should receive nothing but comfort in the arms of these individuals. But if there have been frequent arguments happening between the senior and the provider of care, you should be weary.
But what if their arguments are just small and meaningless? Does it still count? No matter what the content of the arguments are, as long as they have become common, you need to investigate the matter.
There are different kinds of elder abuse, and these include the following:
- Physical abuse
Any abuse that involves physically hurting and lashing on the elderly person is considered physical abuse. You can easily tell if the old one is a victim of such abuse if he or she displays the following:
- Broken bones
- Broken items (like eyeglasses or frames)
- Bruises
- Dislocations
- Drug overdose
- Forgetting their medication
- Rope marks
- Scars
- Suspicious acts coming from the caregiver
- Sprains
- Swellings
- Wounds
- Unexplained injuries
- Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is as dangerous as physical abuse. It may not give the elder some physical harm, but it can provide a reason to harm themselves. Aside from that, it is a fact that one’s emotions can affect a person’s health.
You can spot this in the elderly if he or she feels unusual around their caregiver. The older family member may show fear, anger, or disgust once their caregiver shares the room with you.
If you notice your senior mumbling to themselves, and if you think that the activity or habit has been caused by dementia, you have to think again. It may be a sign of emotional abuse from their caregiver.
- Sexual abuse
Sadly, there are elderly people who have had suffered sexual advances from their caregivers. Some warning signs include:
- Bruises around private areas
- Baffling bleeding in the breasts and/or genitals
- Neglect
Not all elder abuse consists of the caregivers doing something to their patients. It also includes the neglect these seniors experience from their caregivers. There are also times when the elderly neglects himself or herself due to the lack of care given by their caregiver.
- Financial exploitation
Because they are already too old to manage their finances, many people use the elderly in order to exploit the latter’s finances. The elders, on the other hand, are one of the most vulnerable victims to fraud.
Nobody wants their elderly family member to experience any of the mentioned circumstances above. See to it that your senior’s caregiver has a clean record and has good background.
Comfort and Care Health Services LLC works hard so that no senior will ever be a victim of these circumstances. If you are currently suffering from any form of abuse, call for help right away.
Leave a Reply