Care of the elderly should be something you can trust trained professionals to take care of, especially when the people they’re caring for simply want to live out their lives in peace. Most of us are taught to respect and care for our ageing parents and relatives, if for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do.
Abuse of senior citizens is one of the most troubling crimes we see in modern society, because elderly people are generally too old or frail to defend themselves. Even more troubling is that there are well over 500,000 crimes of this type reported each year in the United States alone.
This type of abuse can take place almost anywhere, including in the family home, or in a dedicated care facility for senior citizens. It can also take place as part of elaborate investment scams, often perpetrated by family members or friends who are aware that the person they’re targeting has significant financial resources and are also far more trusting because of their advanced years.
An elderly person can suffer from a number of different types of abuse, including physical, emotional, deliberate neglect, financial and even sexual. These forms of abuse can leave a senior citizen unable to trust anyone around them, or to even raise their voice for the help they so badly need.
Listen
When an elderly parent or relative is brave enough to share their abuse with you, then the first thing you need to do is listen to them. They need to be heard, understood and believed. They may have endured days or weeks of having their pleas ignored, and in the case of investment scams they may have also seen their life savings squandered by others in hours or days.
If there is any doubt in your mind that abuse of some form is taking place that should be enough for you to take action against the person or institution involved. The sooner you take action; the sooner you’ll be able to stop the abuse from taking place.
Gather Evidence
Because these cases can be so difficult to prove, you will need to invest time and effort in gathering as much proof as possible that abuse is taking place. This can take the form of witness statements, documentation from the institution or organization involved, names of staff members allegedly involved in the despicable acts, and photographs of any unexplained injuries the elderly person has.
Lawsuits
The Elder Justice Act of 2010 can be referred to in cases of elder abuse. It provides federal resources for the detection, and prosecution of those guilty of abusing, exploiting or neglecting elderly patients.
From a court’s point of view the only person deemed eligible to bring a case of elderly abuse forward is the senior citizen themselves. Most cases tend to fall apart at this stage, simply because a person of 70, 80 or 90 years of age won’t want to go through the trauma of a court appearance. This is especially true of cases where sexual abuse has taken place. In the truly unfortunate cases where abuse, neglect or exploitation has resulted in the death of an elderly person, there is usually a limit in compensation awarded of no more than $250,000.
Just because cases of elder abuse can be difficult to prove doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue those guilty of the abuse to the fullest extent of the law.