Domestic Abuse Among Elders Remains a Hidden Problem (MI. USA)

by Elizabeth Stawicki, Minnesota Public Radio

July 7, 2009

We've heard of children and caregivers physically exploiting seniors, but it turns out that abuse between partners and spouses is also substantial--and a largely hidden problem.

Advocates say society's understanding of the problem is where domestic and child abuse was 35 years ago. The abuse doesn't necessarily end as people age -- it's just not reported.

The year was 1946. The world was no longer at war, but Mabel's battle was just beginning.

Mabel was 20, living in a small, southwestern Minnesota town near the South Dakota border when she married.

In public, he shined with charm, but at home, he berated her with sarcasm and threats, and forcefully grabbed her. After her two children were born, she tried to shield them and fight back. It never ended well.

"That was hard on me because I'd walk around with a black eye or wreck my glasses," Mabel said. "Where we lived, nobody asked."

Mabel said she would have gotten her marriage anulled, had she known about that option at the time. She went to see her local priest, but said her husband charmed him as well.

Seeing no way out, she tried to manage the abuse -- for 61 years.

Signs of domestic abuse for older persons:

· - Isolation/withdrawal from friends and family

· - Visible but unexplained injuries: bruises/abrasions/burns

· - Repeated accidental injuries and vague complaints

· - Depression

· - Suicidal thoughts

· - Unexplained weight loss or gain

· - Poorly groomed

· - Pain: abdominal, pelvic, headaches

· - Disturbance in sleep pattern: insomnia, fatigue, excessive sleep

Source: MN Network on Abuse in Later Life

Hotlines/Information numbers:

· Senior LinkAge Line: 1-800-333-2433

· Minnesota Domestic Violence Crisis Line: 1-866-223-1111

· If not in Minnesota, the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Abridged

SOURCE: MPR NEWS (Minnesota Public Radio)

It is worthwhile to go to Source for the full-text. An excellent expose' of the problem.

...................... AC

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