The 7 most common types of elder abuse include physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse, self-neglect and abandonment. Any of these types of elder abuse can be devastating for older people and their families. Elder abuse occurs when someone intentionally causes harm to an elderly person or puts them at risk of injury. There are many different types of abuse, such as sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, neglect, abandonment and financial abuse.
Elders can experience sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, financial abuse, abandonment, and even self-neglect. Elderly people who have dementia or any other mental or physical illness are more vulnerable to sexual abuse. Older women are more susceptible to sexual abuse, but men can also be sexually abused. Sexual abuse can be any form of non-consensual sexual contact.
Any unwanted contact, taking explicit photographs, forcing the elderly to undress, abuse and rape, is a form of sexual abuse. Failure to report sexual abuse is very common due to fear of retaliation. Elder abuse — mistreatment or exploitation of older people — can take many different forms. Elder abuse cases range from inflicting physical harm to using fraud or coercion to obtain financial or material gain from vulnerable seniors.
The main types of elder abuse are explained below. See Elder Abuse Overview for more general information and Signs of Elder Abuse for symptoms and signs. The 7 types of elder abuse include physical, sexual, emotional, and financial abuse, along with neglect, self-neglect, and elder neglect. While some forms are more common than others, all types of abuse can have a devastating effect on an older person's health.
If you are the caregiver of an elderly person and think you are at risk of hurting or neglecting them, help and support is available. If you suspect that an elderly person is at risk of being neglected or overwhelmed by a caregiver, or of being the victim of financial grievance, it's important to talk. It's essential to know the warning signs of all types of elder abuse, especially if you or a loved one has an older family member. The reporting agencies in each state are different, but each state has a designated service to receive and investigate complaints of elder abuse and neglect.
A CNN report noted that sexual abuse of older people often goes unreported, particularly when an older person suffers from mental disabilities such as dementia. Fortunately, there are laws at the federal and state levels to ensure that punishments for elder abuse are enforced. Signs of elder abuse can be difficult to recognize or confuse with symptoms of dementia, or the frailty of the elderly person or caregivers can explain them that way. Neglect can be intentional or unintentional, but it is the caregiver's responsibility to find a person to care for the elder if they are unable to do so on their own.
Elder abuse includes physical, emotional, or sexual harm inflicted on an older adult, financial exploitation, or neglect of their well-being by people who are directly responsible for their care. Common examples of elder financial abuse include cashing checks without authorization; falsifying signatures; stealing or misusing money or possessions; coercing or tricking an elderly person into signing a document; and misusing guardianship, conservatorship, or power of attorney. Neglect generally refers to the caregiver's failure to provide the care needed by an elderly person, which applies to individuals as well as nursing homes and other care facilities. Adult Protective Services (APS), present in all 50 states, are designated to receive and investigate complaints of elder abuse and neglect.
Elder emotional abuse (also known as psychological abuse) occurs when an elderly person is threatened, shouted at, or ignored by caregivers. .
