Types of Elder Abuse

Neglect and abuse comes in many different forms. You might be on the lookout for physical abuse, but did you know that your elderly loved one might be the victim of financial abuse or sexual abuse? In this section of our website, we define the different types of abuse that your loved one is at risk for. Understanding these risks will help you prevent or identify them and protect your loved one.

Start by checking out our page about identifying neglect and abuse towards the elderly. This will give you a sense of what kind of injuries you should look out for, as well as give some information about guides to abuse. Then, check out our page on factors in neglect and abuse of the elderly. This takes you through factors such as dementia, disability, gender, financial situation, emotional/mental state, social life, and education level. These could all play a role in if your elderly loved one faces abuse in a home or not.

Types of Abuse

Next, this section takes you through definitions of each of the common types of abuse that your elderly loved one might face. A person might face sexual abuse in a home, especially if they have dementia. In this situation, they might not remember the abuse, or authorities might not believe them if they do try to express their situation.

Emotional abuse is another type of abuse that the elderly can face in a nursing home. While you might think that this is a mild form of abuse, harassment can have a serious impact on your loved one’s mental health and well being. They might become afraid that the abuse will turn physical and live in fear. Obviously, you want to prevent these issues.

Medical errors are also a form of neglect. Many medical errors occur due to lack of communication amongst staff members. Make sure that your loved one is receiving the treatment that they need.

Self neglect is another form of neglect that you should consider. Self neglect happens when a person neglects themselves – their appearance, their well being, their health, etc. This is a very sad situation and you should be on the lookout to make sure that your loved one does not suffer from self neglect.

The elderly are also commonly victims of financial abuse. Sometimes the elderly are tricked into providing money, or their health insurance is taken advantage of. Learn more about financial abuse here.

Physical abuse is another form of abuse that is commonly known. Watch out for injuries that your loved one might sustain. Some injuries result from accidents, but others are inflicted on purpose.

Finally, consider that resident to resident abuse could occur in a nursing home. It is not always staff that neglect or abuse residents; residents can inflict abuse on one another. Keep this in mind and talk to your loved one about potential resident to resident issues in the home.

These are a few of the basic types of abuse to watch out for. If you need more information, please contact our office.