How to get help if there's elderly abuse
Oct 22, 2008
By DON DARE
6 On Your Side Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE)
Each year, tens of thousands of elderly Americans are abused in their own homes, in relatives' homes or in facilities responsible for their care.
As seniors become more physically frail, they're less able to stand up to bullying or to fight back if attacked. Plus, they're not likely to talk about abuse.
Every year, an estimated 2.1 million older Americans are victims of physical, psychological, sexual or other forms for abuse and neglect.
General signs of abuse include:
Frequent arguments or tension between the caregivers and the elderly person.
Changes in personality or behavior in the elderly person, such as fear or becoming very quiet.
Most of the time, the abuse will happen at home, although not necessarily a nursing home.
"The most recent statistics that I have is that 85 percent of the alleged perpetrators are related to the victim. That brings up another problem, fear. Older adults who are frail are afraid of losing whatever support they have, so they don't want to report it. So we really don't know how prevalent this is," explains Deborah Herzel, chairwoman of Elder Watch.
If you or someone you know has been abused, hurt, frightened or someone has taken something from you, call one of these numbers:
Adult Protective Services at (865)-594-5685
Family Violence Helpline at (865)-521-6336
On Wednesday in Knoxville, area police, health care workers, social workers, attorneys and medical personnel will attend a workshop on elderly sexual assault and other forms of abuse.
SOURCE: WATE.com - Knoxville,TN,USA
-----------------------------------------------------
More Recent Posts from Spotlight on Elder Abuse
No comments:
Post a Comment