Neighbourhood Watch: STN 1 South YarraRegion 1 Division 2 Stonnington, Victoria, Australia.
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Neighbourhood Watch: STN 1 South Yarra
Region 1 Division 2
Stonnington, Victoria, Australia.
You are here: Home>Newsletters>July 2004
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July, 2004 Elder Abuse: A Hidden Crime OLDER PEOPLE today are more visible, more active and more independent than ever before – living longer and in better health. However, as the population of older Australians grows, so does the hidden problem of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. What is elder abuse and why is it never reported? Where does it occur and who is responsible? Why are the majority of loving carers able to handle stress and frustration on a daily basis while others strike out at their loved ones or manipulate their monies through greed? I had been brought up around elderly persons as a child. My maternal grandmother lived with us and encouraged me to read and learn my ABCs before I was in first grade. I was taught to respect older persons and always listen to their stories – tales that could never be replicated. Even as my grandmother developed "hardening of the arteries" and lost her memory, my time spent with her was precious. Later in life when I became a police sergeant, a home health nurse contacted me, upset and crying. One of her clients, Mr Simmons, a 75 year old gentleman who had a pacemaker inserted two years ago and was now bedridden, was not being cared for properly by his own daughter. He was left alone during the day, was severely malnourished, and had not been bathed in two weeks. I met the nurse at the house and saw a huge padlock on the front door, virtually making this elderly patient a prisoner in his own home. Bound and determined, I went to the back door and found it slightly open. The smell that came through the door was one of death and decayed bodies, but there was a chance that Mr. Simmons was still alive. I made my way through the house to his dark gloomy bedroom in the rear and saw a skeleton of a man lying in a hospital bed. Dressed only in diapers and a urine soaked t-shirt, he was totally emaciated and completely soiled from head to toe from his own body wastes. Desperately hoping that he was still alive, I touched him lightly on the shoulder. He turned slightly towards me but his eyes were completely glazed over and he emitted only low guttural sounds. I told him that I was a police officer and would get him help and promised that nobody would ever hurt him again. While Australia generally has begun to address the problem with many excellent initiatives being undertaken across the country, some fundamental weaknesses in our approach still remain. Statistics could possibly reveal parts of the story but there is no central database throughout Australia in which to collect any reports. Reporting of these events could possibly offer an insight into the number of cases and those who are the offenders but there are no mandatory reporting laws. In a report published by the Office of the Public Advocate in August 2003, it had been estimated that there would be over 70,000 incidents of elder abuse, neglect, and/or exploitation in Victoria alone in 2003. No one knows the exact amount of incidents that remain "hidden" and unreported. No one can imagine the silent suffering of our vulnerable older persons, unable to cry out and having to suffer the indignities day after day behind the closed doors of our communities or our nursing facilities. Even in other countries where there are mandatory reporting laws, experts estimate that there may be as many as five times the cases that have not been reported. Even if cases are reported, there are no adult protective services caseworkers in any State or Territory to specifically handle these intricate and shocking incidents, requiring specially trained investigators. And finally, if there were specially trained adult protective services caseworkers, enforcement would be impossible due to no specific laws for elder abuse and neglect. What is elder abuse? Elder abuse is the infliction of physical, emotional, and/or psychological harm on an older, vulnerable adult at the hands of a family member or a paid carer in an institution. Elder abuse can take the form of financial exploitation, intentional neglect of an older adult by the carer, or unintentional abuse due to ignorance of care issues. Physical Abuse can range from slapping or shoving to severe beatings and inappropriate restraint. Physical abuse can include hitting, beating, pushing, kicking, pinching, burning or biting. Emotional or Psychological Abuse can range from name-calling or giving the "silent treatment" to intimidating and threatening the individual. When a family member or a carer behaves in a way that causes fear, mental anguish and emotional pain or distress, the behaviour can be regarded as abusive. Financial Exploitation can range from misuse of an older family member's funds to embezzlement. Financial exploitation includes fraud, taking money under false pretences, forgery, forced property transfers, purchasing expensive items with the older persons money without their knowledge or permission, or denying the older persons access to his or her funds or home. It also includes the improper use of legal guardianship arrangements, powers of attorney, or conservatorships. Carer Neglect can range from withholding appropriate attention to intentionally failing to meet physical, social, or emotional needs of the older person. Neglect can include failure to provide food, water, clothing, medications, and assistance with activities of daily living or help with personal hygiene. Sexual Abuse can range from sexual exhibition to rape. It can include inappropriate touching, photographing the older person in suggestive poses, forcing the person to look at pornography, forcing sexual contact with a third party, or any unwanted sexualised behaviour. It also include rape, sodomy, or coerced nudity. Why does elder abuse happen? Elder abuse is a complex problem that can emerge from several multiple causes and factors – including family situation, carer issues and cultural issues. Family situations include discord in the family created by the older person's presence, a history and pattern of violent interactions within the family, social isolation, stresses on the carer or carers, and lack of knowledge of care giving skills. Personal problems of the carer that can lead to abusing a frail older person include carer stress, mental or emotional illness, addiction to alcohol or other drugs, job loss or other person crisis, financial dependency on the older person, and a tendency to use violence to solve problems. Societal attitudes make it easier for abuse to continue without detection or intervention. These attitudes include the devaluation and lack of respect for older adults and society's belief that what goes on in the home is a private, "family matter". Shame and embarrassment often make it difficult for any person to reveal abuse. People don't want others to know that such events occur in their families.Lack of respect for the elderly may also contribute to violence against older people. When older people are regarded as disposable, society fails to recognise the importance of assuring dignified, supportive, and non-abusive life circumstances for every older person. So where do we go from here in order to protect our older, more vulnerable friends, neighbours and family members? There are no easy solutions or answers. We are at the very beginnings of this issue but every day there are older Australians who are abused and neglected at the hands of their own family members or paid carers in an institution. The Elder Abuse Prevention Association issues the following challenges: •To recognise that no one, of whatever age, should be subjected to violent, abusive, humiliating, or neglectful behaviour; •To assist in educating the public about the special needs and problems of the elderly and about the risk factors for abuse; •To recognise that all carers need respite care to aid in reducing their own stress, especially those who are caring for older persons suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia or who are severely disabled; •To band together as a family to share solutions and provide informal respite care for each other; • To accept counselling as a way to help people change lifelong patterns of behaviour or find solutions to problems emerging from current stresses; and finally •To continuously honour and respect those older persons in our communities who have given their lives to raising families, establishing businesses, and building our neighbourhoods so that the younger generations could be safe and prosper. Elder abuse – A hidden crime? Join with me in taking steps now to protect and give back the dignity to our older and more vulnerable persons. Lillian Jeter Executive Director Elder Abuse Prevention Association Phone 8562 2202, Fax 8562 2288 Email: lillian@eapa.asn.au This article was originally published in the July edition of the Neighbourhood Watch Journal "SENTINEL" Next Meeting Acknowledgement: |
Last modified 8 September 2004.