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Types of elder abuse

Wed 30 Aug, 2017 / by / General

Illinois residents who have elderly family members that need care and may need to live in a nursing home or assisted living facility have good reason to be concerned about the safety of their loved ones. Elder abuse is a serious problem that anyone who relies on the staff at these facilities should be aware of. Knowing the warning signs and types of abuse or neglect is one important way of keeping their relatives safe or knowing when to take action.

The National Center for Elder Abuse indicates that people with dementia tend to experience a high risk of being abused or neglected by a caregiver. This should be of concern as so many elderly people in America have issues with dementia or related conditions.

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, abuse or neglect of an elderly person by a caregiver can take many forms. Certainly physical abuse may be the first thing that many people think of but it is not always caused by hitting or beating. It can be related to bites, scratches, suffocations, kicking and other acts as well.

Other forms of elder abuse include financial exploitation, psychological or emotional trauma and even sexual abuse. Sexual abuse may but does not have to include actual penetration but could involve many forms of unwanted sexual behavior. In addition, neglect can come in the form of not providing necessary care but also in the form of not properly protecting an elderly person so that they are put in harm’s way unnecessarily.