Elder Abuse - A Public Plea

Please help to publicize elder abuse cases. Laws have to be enacted to protect the rights of older people. It is a human rights issue. Do not be complacent. We can only speculate on the causes of elder abuse cases. Get involved! We should not sensationalize.
Imagine the pains of getting abused in your twilight years. Stripped of money and dignity. According to many published researches majority of elder abuses occurred in private homes and are perpetrated by the spouse or adult children.
We are outraged by child abuse, violence against women and other abuses and violations of human rights. Let us be outraged. Let us be united in our efforts to help the voiceless.
Check out the various links listed here or on other EA blogs. We need your help.

The Silent Victims of Elder Abuse

Emotional and Psychological abuses leave NO physical wounds. But the damages to the abused victims can be just as devastating as physical wounds.
Older people are living longer and are more active. This may pose a problem to their adult children who are impatient in getting their hands on their inheritance. A sense of entitlement to inheritance often drive adult children to commit elder abuse on their parent or parents.
They may feel that they are free from interference of the law. Such cases often occur in private homes. The abusers often believe that they "have got away with it". The elderly parents often will not consider telling others about the abuses. They feel ashamed and bewildered. Wondering what they might have done wrong in bringing up their children.
These victims are voiceless and pitiful.
Until others in society feel outraged by such cases of elder abuse, there will be no help for these victims.
We need to protect and promote the rights of older people.

Please join me in my attempt to stop the abuse of Frank Punito. (see previous day comment). His children are now denying their parents access to the last bit of assets they own. The children now have control over the mother's assets. They are working on the other half!

Elder Abuse Case - Register your Protest

Withholding funds from an Older Person is considered as Financial Abuse of an Older Person.

The Abusers of Frank Punito continues to do that. His adult children work jointly regarding to their parents. One of them has the power of attorney for the mother. After delaying the property settlement for over 8 years - leaving the father in unacceptable living quarters, they are now doing it again.! It is really financial abuse of BOTH parents.
We should be outraged. Why wouldn't they sign documents on behalf of their mother so that their parents get their entitled assets? It has been almost eight weeks since documents were sent to them requesting co-operattion and signature.
Neglect, emotional and psychological abuse should be added to this case.
The abusers are mocking the rest of the world because they are "getting away with it". No one seems to be able to stop them. There are currently no laws to protect the parents.

Please join me in registering our outrage. Email me with the words "Frank Punito Abusers - We are outraged !" Kindly state your country.
Thank you.

Elder Abuse - What About the other 92.7%

Elder abuse measures: What about the other 92.7%?
Thursday July 27, 2006

The Victorian Public Advocate welcomes the Federal Government’s new measures to protect people from elder abuse; but wonders about the fate of the other 92.7% of people aged over 70 who don’t live in nursing homes.
“I support any measures that protect vulnerable people who are at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation - unfortunately, research shows that this kind of abuse is most likely to be financial and perpetrated by a family member”, Mr Julian Gardner said.
“A quick fix solution such as mandatory reporting will never address what we see as the major causes of elder abuse.
This is an important issue, a growing issue and while the Federal Government is taking positive steps, it is important that they are just the first of many,” he said.

Although the above comment was made about a year ago I believe it is still relevant today. I'm quite sure that this is still the situation around the world. Percentage may vary BUT .... As mentioned in earlier posting IF YOU ARE NOT IN CARE FACILITIES AND YOU ARE FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT, bad luck!
People in this situation have to fend for themselves.

What You Can Do About Elder Abuse

A sense of helplessness can turn people away from getting involved in such an issue as Elder Abuse. So, with the assistance of various sources I've list below some of the things You can do:

According to the Canadian Seniors Secretarial

• How can I help stop elder abuse?
  Know what elder abuse involves... be aware of the warning signs and know what services are available. Some specific tips;
• Be aware of support services in your community. This includes social service agencies, seniors’ centres, legal services, clergy, transition houses or shelters, health centres, etc.
  Become a community "watchdog". Keep a watchful eye out for loved ones, friends, or neighbours who may be vulnerable.
• Speak up if you have concerns. That means even if you are not sure. You have a right and responsibility to question.
• Become involved. Find out what is being done to prevent abuse. Volunteer with older adults in your community.
• Support efforts and programs to increase and strengthen services in your community.

In USA the website of NCEA contains answers to many questions regarding Elder Abuse.

UK

Help the Aged Website

Action on Elder Abuse

Australia:

Queensland: Elder Abuse Prevention Unit/"
Victoria: Elder Abuse Prevention Assn.

All Australian States:

Preventing Abuse of Older People

I hope the above information will be of help to some of you who want to find out more about the issue; or wishes to get involved in some way to help.
Another way you can help is to offer your suggestions or assitance re this site.

My apologies if information you require is not cover by this post/site. I am just a single person who has been "fired up" by a terrible case.

Ageism: The Path to Elder Abuse

Ageism: The Path to Elder Abuse
By Jack Halpern, MPS, LNHA

The number of Americans 60 and older is growing, but society still isn't embracing the aging population, geropsychologists say. Whether battling "old geezer" stereotypes or trying to obtain equal standing in the workplace, those who are 60 or older may all too often find themselves the victims of ageism. Fueling the problem is the media's portrayal of older adults.

At a Senate hearing last fall, experts testified before the Special Committee on Aging about the effects of age stereotypes. Doris Roberts, the Emmy-award winning actress in her seventies from the T.V. show "Everybody Loves Raymond," also testified at the hearing.

"My peers and I are portrayed as dependent, helpless, unproductive and demanding rather than deserving," Roberts testified. "In reality, the majority of seniors are self-sufficient, middle-class consumers with more assets than most young people, and the time and talent to offer society."

The world of aging portrayed in the mass media has not traditionally been an enjoyable or positive one. Old people today are generally not appreciated as experienced "elders" or possessors of special wisdom; they are simply seen as sometimes remaining competent enough to be included in the unitary role category of "active citizen." Old people are respected to the extent that they can behave like young people, that is, to the extent that they remain capable of working, enjoying sex, exercising and taking care of themselves
A survey of 84 people ages 60 and older, nearly 80 percent of respondents reported experiencing ageism--such as other people assuming they had memory or physical impairments due to their age. The 2001 survey by Duke University's Erdman Palmore, PhD, also revealed that the most frequent type of ageism--reported by 58 percent of respondents--was being told a joke that pokes fun at older people. Thirty-one percent reported being ignored or not taken seriously because of their age. The study appeared in The Gerontologist (Vol. 41, No. 5).
The effects of ageism:
Not only are negative stereotypes hurtful to older people, but they may even shorten their lives, finds psychologist Becca Levy, PhD, assistant professor of public health at Yale University. In Levy's longitudinal study of 660 people 50 years and older, those with more positive self-perceptions of aging lived 7.5 years longer than those with negative self-perceptions of aging. The study appeared in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 83, No. 2).
On the other hand, people's positive beliefs about and attitudes toward the elderly appear to boost their mental health. Levy has found that older adults exposed to positive stereotypes have significantly better memory and balance, whereas negative self-perceptions contributed to worse memory and feelings of worthlessness.

"Age stereotypes are often internalized at a young age--long before they are even relevant to people," notes Levy, adding that even by the age of four, children are familiar with age stereotypes, which are reinforced.


Source: myelderadvocate.typepad.com

Yes, Ageism discriminates. Elder Bloggers should unite to stop it. We can be a voice for change. Let us do it! Older age is NOT all doom and gloom. I will post links to Elder Bloggers' sites soon. Contact me if you want your site link posted here.

Another Horrible Case of Elder Abuse

Fire Ants And Newspapers
The Washington Post picks up a local story that the Miami Herald covered earlier this week and gives South Florida another opportunity to bask in the warmth of the national media's spotlight.
MIAMI -- A man was charged with elderly abuse after his mother was found covered in red ants and feces in a trailer with no electricity, authorities said Friday.
Lillian V. Smith, 83, was found Tuesday in the abandoned trailer with no running water or bathroom, and died Thursday at a hospital, authorities said.

Sherrill "Bubba" Smith, 49, [pictured above] who shared the trailer with his mother, was charged with elderly abuse, authorities said.

The son inserted newspapers into her to stop feces from spilling onto the bed, The Miami Herald reported, citing a police report.

Doctors said the elder Smith also had a fractured right leg that had not been treated, the arrest report said. An autopsy showed the woman died of natural causes, Miami-Dade Police spokesman Roy Rutland said.

As you might expect, "Bubba" and his mother lived in the Redlands. And if you believe Google maps, it looks like the circled area may have been where the trailer was located on the property.
The main house and the trailers appear to be set well back from the road and away from anyone who might have noticed what was going on.

SOURCE

Reported cases of Elder Abuse constitute only the very "tip of the iceberg" of actual cases. The few blogs and websites on this issue (other than those set up by govt. Aged Care departments) are set up by friends or relatives of victims. Please support us in our efforts.

UK Report: 700.000 elderly 'abused at home or in care'

700,000 elderly 'abused at home or in care'
By Maria Thompson
Last Updated: 1:22am BST 11/06/2007

More than 700,000 elderly people are abused in their own homes or privately run nursing homes, a new report will reveal.
The findings of the study, which has been conducted for almost two years, are due to be released on Thursday in the run-up to World Elder Abuse Day on Friday.
It is understood that the report will disclose high levels of neglect, verbal abuse and behaviour that affects self esteem, although the amount of serious physical abuse and injury is thought to be relatively low. Ivan Lewis, the care minister, said: "We need to have a fresh look at the whole adult protection regime in this country.
"I want to see a situation where people are as outraged by the abuse of an older person as they are by the abuse of a child. Sadly, we are nowhere near that yet as a society but that culture has to change."
It is the first time that a study of the prevalence of elder abuse in people's own homes has been done in England.
The work has been done by researchers from King's College London and the National Centre for Social Research, and funded by Comic Relief and the Department of Health.
Age Concern England said the kind of abuse could range from bullying and neglect to carers stealing or manipulating elderly people to change their wills.
A spokesman for the charity said: "Abuses of this nature are completely unacceptable in any care setting. It must stop.
Care homes have a duty to provide a standard of care. It's shocking that some of those trusted to provide that care are failing in their duty. It's a violation of people's basic human rights.


One way to increase the protection for older people would be to extend the human rights act to include privately as well as publicly run care homes.
"Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, particularly are at their most vulnerable."

(Full Text: Telegraph.co.uk)

Let me echo Ivan Lewis's .."I want to see a situation where people are as outraged by the abuse of an older person as they are by the abuse of a child."

Technorati Profile

Missing voices: views of older persons on elder abuse

A study from eight countries: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, India, Kenya, Lebanon and Sweden.
Executive summary
Elder abuse, the mistreatment of older people, though a manifestation of the timeless phenomenon of inter-personal violence, is now achieving due recognition.

This report presents the design and findings of the study, and the conclusions of a meeting (Geneva 11–13 October 2001) aimed at identifying the indications for policy, research and action emerging from these study findings. Reports from each country prepared by the national teams were reviewed and analysed at the meeting.

Analysis of the major themes revealed remarkable similarities across the participating countries. Older people perceived abuse under three broad areas:

• Neglect: isolation, abandonment and social exclusion
• Violation: of human, legal and medical rights
• Deprivation: of choices, decisions, status, finances and respect

source: WHO Project

Ageing, Ageism & Abuse Seminar & Workshops in Victoria

On 2-3 August 2007
Featured speakers:

Jo Pearson speaking on ageism in the media and in society as a causative factor of elder abuse
Brian Herd speaking on undue influence and the dynamics within the family setting, resulting in abuse & financial exploitation
Lillian Jeter speaking on the profile of the offenders - those who commit sexual assaults & physically abuse as well as others who mistreat older residents, neglect, and psychologically abuse. What goes on in these offenders' minds?
Dr. Yvonne Wells speaking on the psychological issues surrounding elder abuse with a review of the research literature
Colleen Williams speaking on the "culture" within residential care facilities
We have the pleasure to announce two additions to our program:
Norman Aisbett, senior journalist with The West Australian will be moderating our panel discussion. Norman has been a journalist for more than thirty-five years and his career has been distinguished by his concern for social justice issues, both within Australia and in the Asia-Pacific region.
Gail Chilianis & Deb Chapman will speak about their personal experiences following the alleged sexual assault of their grandmother in a nursing home on the Mornington Peninsula. Gail & Deb were featured on Lateline on the 20th of February 2006 and will provide a sensitive & emotional portrayal from a family's perspective.
Further details
Venue:
Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre
Cost:
See flyer for registration fees
RSVP:See registration form