All older adults have the right to live safely and manage their own affairs. Older adults in Ontario who are capable have the right:
-
to make their own decisions
-
to choose what is best for themselves
-
to expect services to enhance capacity
-
to maintain control over their destiny and decisions
-
to preserve and maintain their quality of life.
The World Health Organization defines elder abuse as a “single, or repeated acts, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.” (World Health Organization, 2002)
Actions used to intimidate, humiliate, coerce, frighten or simply to make the senior feel powerless, especially in situations where there is an imbalance of control or power are considered elder abuse. Unfortunately this is a serious and growing problem due to an aging population.
June 15 is Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
Even though people of all ages experience fraud and abuse (including financial abuse), older adults may be particularly vulnerable. The abuser may be a family member, friend, neighbour, or someone providing personal care or professional care giving services.
Elder abuse is a misuse of power and a violation of trust in a relationship. It may be difficult to identify because the abused person may or may not realize that their rights have been violated and the person causing the harm may or may not know that their action or inaction is abusive. Bystanders might suspect something is wrong, but be unsure about what to do or unwilling to get involved.
Not all abuse leaves physical marks because some forms of abuse are non-physical. There are a number of different types of abuse that may be perpetrated against an older adult:
Financial Abuse
The most common form of elder abuse is financial abuse. It is defined as any improper conduct, done with or without the informed consent of the older adult that results in a monetary or personal gain to the abuser and/or loss for the older adult. Most financial abuse is perpetrated by family members and can include: misusing a Power of Attorney; theft or misusing money, cheques or property; sharing the senior’s home without paying a fair share of the expenses; or pressuring a senior to change a will, or sell property or other assets or belongings; coercing them to sign legal documents or loan money; and fraud, forgery and extortion.
Psychological Abuse
Emotional and psychological abuse is any action, verbal or non-verbal, that lessens a person’s sense of identity, dignity and self-worth. It includes not meeting a person’s spiritual needs, by not letting the individual attend a place of worship, for example; humiliating them through name calling, yelling and bullying; isolating a person from friends and family; treating a person with silence or ignoring them; and threatening to harm them, their friends, family or pets.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is any act of violence or rough handling that causes physical discomfort or pain even if it does not result in a physical injury. Pushing, kicking, shoving, shaking, hitting, slapping, poking, hair-pulling, biting, pinching, arm twisting, confining and restraining a person are all examples of physical abuse.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual behaviour directed toward an older adult without that person’s full knowledge and consent is sexual abuse. It includes coercing an older person through force, trickery, threats or other means into unwanted sexual activity: sexual contact with seniors who are unable to grant consent; unwanted sexual contact such as inappropriate touching, sexualized kissing, fondling; coerced nudity; making sexual remarks and/or suggestions; and forcing a person to perform a sexual act. This type of abuse is often difficult to identify and under reported because embarrassment and shame may prevent the issue from being talked about.
Neglect
Neglect is not meeting the basic needs of the older person and can be either active (intentional), which is the deliberate withholding of care or the basic necessities of life to an older adult for whom they are caring, or passive (unintentional), defined as the failure to provide proper care to an older adult due to lack of knowledge, experience and ability or a lack of awareness of how to access care. Neglect can include failing to provide enough food, shelter, medical care, clothing, or physical aids (like a walking cane, hearing aids, glasses, etc.); leaving a person in an unsafe place; improper use of medication; failure to assist with activities of daily living or abandonment; and denying a senior his or her basic rights.
Impolite behaviour or rudeness is not abuse. Arguments and conflicts are not abuse either. If both people have power in the relationship and can make choices about what happens next, then it is not necessarily an abusive situation.
Some abusive behaviour is illegal; all abuse is wrong. Abuse or mistreatment of older adults is a multidimensional phenomenon, that encompasses a broad range of behaviors, events, and circumstances. Unlike random acts of violence or exploitation, elder abuse does not always occur as an isolated incident; in fact, it is a recurring event in up to 80% of cases.
Check back tomorrow to learn more about the warning signs of elder abuse and how to prevent it.