{"id":989,"date":"2016-03-23T05:25:10","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T05:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/?p=989"},"modified":"2016-03-23T05:25:10","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T05:25:10","slug":"learn-signs-elder-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/2016\/03\/23\/learn-signs-elder-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn the Signs of Elder Abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/103\/2016\/03\/stop-elder-abuse.jpg\" alt=\"stop-elder-abuse\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-991\" \/>Elder abuse is a growing problem. But if you learn to\u00a0spot the warning signs of a possible problem, and are willing to make a call for help if an elder you know is in need of assistance, then you can help us all take a stand to prevent elder abuse.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What Is Elder Abuse?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In general, elder abuse refers to\u00a0intentional or neglectful acts by\u00a0a caregiver or \u201ctrusted\u201d individual\u00a0that lead to, or may lead to,\u00a0harm of a vulnerable elder. In\u00a0many states, younger adults with\u00a0disabilities may qualify for the same\u00a0services and protections. Physical\u00a0abuse; neglect; emotional or\u00a0psychological abuse; financial\u00a0abuse and exploitation; sexual\u00a0abuse; and abandonment are\u00a0considered forms of elder abuse.\u00a0In many states, self-neglect is also\u00a0considered mistreatment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who Is At Risk?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Elder abuse can occur anywhere\u00a0\u2013 in the home, in nursing homes,\u00a0or other institutions. It affects\u00a0seniors across all socioeconomic\u00a0groups, cultures, and races.\u00a0Based on available information,\u00a0women and \u201colder\u201d elders are\u00a0more likely to be victimized.\u00a0Dementia is a significant risk\u00a0factor. Mental health and\u00a0substance abuse issues \u2013 of\u00a0both abusers and victims \u2013 are\u00a0risk factors. Isolation can also\u00a0contribute to risk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What Are the Warning Signs?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Neglect<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lack of basic hygiene, adequate food, or clean and appropriate clothing<\/li>\n<li>Lack of medical aids (glasses, walker, teeth, hearing aid, medications)<\/li>\n<li>Person with dementia left unsupervised<\/li>\n<li>Person confined to bed is left without care<\/li>\n<li>Home cluttered, filthy, in disrepair, or having fire and safety hazards<\/li>\n<li>Home without adequate facilities (stove, refrigerator, heat, cooling, working\u00a0plumbing, and electricity)<\/li>\n<li>Untreated pressure \u201cbed\u201d sores (pressure ulcers)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Financial Abuse\/Exploitation<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lack of amenities victim could afford<\/li>\n<li>Vulnerable elder\/adult \u201cvoluntarily\u201d giving uncharacteristically excessive\u00a0financial reimbursement\/gifts for needed care and companionship<\/li>\n<li>Caregiver has control of elder\u2019s money but is failing to provide for elder\u2019s needs<\/li>\n<li>Vulnerable elder\/adult has signed property transfers (Power of Attorney,\u00a0new will, etc.) but is unable to comprehend the transaction or what it means<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Psychological\/Emotional Abuse<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Unexplained or uncharacteristic changes in behavior, such as withdrawal\u00a0from normal activities, unexplained changes in alertness, other<\/li>\n<li>Caregiver isolates elder (doesn\u2019t let anyone into the home or speak to the elder)<\/li>\n<li>Caregiver is verbally aggressive or demeaning, controlling, overly concerned\u00a0about spending money, or uncaring<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Physical\/Sexual Abuse<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Inadequately explained fractures, bruises, welts, cuts, sores or burns<\/li>\n<li>Unexplained sexually transmitted diseases<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What Should You Do If You Expect Abuse?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dshs.wa.gov\/altsa\/home-and-community-services\/adult-abuse-and-prevention\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/103\/2016\/03\/End-Harm.jpg\" alt=\"End Harm\" width=\"300\" height=\"126\" class=\"alignright wp-image-990\" \/><\/a>Report your concerns!\u00a0Most cases of elder abuse go undetected.\u00a0Don\u2019t assume that someone has already\u00a0reported a suspicious situation. The\u00a0agency receiving the report will ask what\u00a0you observed, who was involved and\u00a0who they can contact to learn more.\u00a0You do not need to prove that\u00a0abuse is occurring; it is up to the\u00a0professionals to investigate the\u00a0suspicions.<\/p>\n<p>If you suspect abuse of a vulnerable adult in Washington state, call the statewide abuse hotline number at 1-866-EndHarm (1-866-363-4276).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>Source: \u00a0National Center on Elder Abuse<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elder abuse is a growing problem. But if you learn to\u00a0spot the warning signs of a possible problem, and are willing to make a call for help if an elder you know is in need of assistance, then you can help us all take a stand to prevent elder abuse&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}