| Â | | | | or odd behavioral changes; threatening or violent |
| When you make the choice to place your family | | | | interaction with others |
| members in the care of total strangers, you assume | | | | · Neglect - bedsores, unattended |
| they'll be treated with dignity. But that isn't always | | | | medical needs, poor hygiene, and drastic weight loss |
| the case. According to the National Center for Elder | | | | · Financial or material exploitation - |
| Abuse (NCEA), about 8,000 cases of elder abuse are | | | | sudden fluctuations in money accounts or other |
| reported in the state of Illinois each year, and those | | | | material assets |
| are only the reported incidents. It unclear how many | | | | · Self-neglect |
| other victims do not tell their families about the pain | | | | · Abandonment |
| they endure because of fear, shame or guilt. | | | | These problems aren't a new phenomenon. Abuse, in |
| The Ugly Side of Caregiving | | | | this context, was formally defined in 1987, as part of |
| Though there are three general categories of elder | | | | an amendments package to the Older Americans |
| abuse-domestic elder abuse institutional elder abuse, | | | | Act, according to the NCEA. Unfortunately, the |
| and self-neglect or self-abuse-institutional abuse is the | | | | language of these amendments did nothing more |
| one farthest from your control. | | | | than identify the problem. There was no way for |
| Institutional abuse is abuse that occurs in residential | | | | abused victims or their families to seek reparations |
| facilities for older persons (e.g., nursing homes, foster | | | | for the wrongs done to them. Lawmakers attempted |
| homes, group homes, board and care facilities), | | | | to improve the situation in 1992, 2000 and 2006 via |
| according to the NCEA. The abusers are usually | | | | amendments to the Older Americans Act, but |
| persons with a legal or contractual obligation to | | | | available statistics still indicate the problem is not |
| provide elder victims with care and protection (e.g., | | | | being resolved. |
| paid caregivers, staff, and professionals). | | | | Help on the Way |
| Types of institutional abuse and their symptoms | | | | |
| include: | | | | If you've recently become aware of a family |
| · Physical abuse - bruises, pressure | | | | member or family friend being abused, you don't |
| marks, broken bones, abrasions, and burns | | | | have to fight these institutions alone. After you've |
| · Sexual abuse - bruises around the | | | | established the problem, don't go sifting through the |
| breasts or genital area | | | | legalities of getting even by yourself. There is help |
| · Emotional or psychological abuse - | | | | available in your state, and it's just a phone call away. |
| Withdrawal from normal activities and mild depression | | | | |