ANYONE CAN BE A VICTIM! Victims can be of any age, gender, race, culture, disability, religion, education, employment or marital status. Although both men and women can be abused, most victims are women. 

 

Children in homes where there is domestic violence are more likely to be abused and/or neglected.

 

Most childrenin these homes know about the violence. 

 

Even if a child is not physically harmed, they may have emotional and behavior problems.

Since abuse can happen to anyone, people can have special concerns:

If you are a person of color ...

You may be afraid of prejudice. You may be afraid of being blamed for going out of your community for help.

If you are a lesbian, gay, or transgendered person ...

You may be afraid of having people know about your sexual orientation.

If you are physically or mentally challenged or elderly ...

You may depend on your abuser to care for you. You may not have other people to help you.

 

Every year, tens of thousands of elderly Americans are abused in their own homes, in relatives’ homes, and even in  facilities responsible for their care. You may suspect that an elderly person you know is being harmed physically or emotionally by a neglectful or overwhelmed caregiver or being preyed upon financially. By learning the signs and symptoms of elder abuse and how to act on behalf of an elderly person who is being abused, you’ll not only be helping someone else but strengthening your own defenses against elder abuse in the future.Abuse of elders takes many different forms, some involving intimidation or threats against the elderly, some involving neglect, and others involving financial chicanery. The most common are defined below.

Physical elder abuse is non-accidental use of force against an elderly person that results in physical pain, injury, or impairment. Such abuse includes not only physical assaults such as hitting or shoving but the inappropriate use of drugs, restraints, or confinement.

In emotional or psychological senior abuse, people speak to or treat elderly persons in ways that cause emotional pain or distress.

Verbal forms of emotional elder abuse include

Nonverbal psychological elder abuse can take the form of

Sexual elder abuse is contact with an elderly person without the elder’s consent. Such contact can involve physical sex acts, but activities such as showing an elderly person pornographic material, forcing the person to watch sex acts, or forcing the elder to undress are also considered sexual elder abuse.

Elder neglect, failure to fulfill a caretaking obligation, constitutes more than half of all reported cases of elder abuse. It can be active (intentional) or passive (unintentional, based on factors such as ignorance or denial that an elderly charge needs as much care as he or she does).

This involves unauthorized use of an elderly person’s funds or property, either by a caregiver or an outside scam artist.

An unscrupulous caregiver might

Typical rackets that target elders include

Carried out by unethical doctors, nurses, hospital personnel, and other professional care providers, examples of healthcare fraud and abuse regarding elders include

At first, you might not recognize or take seriously signs of elder abuse. They may appear to be symptoms of dementia or signs of the elderly person’s frailty — or caregivers may explain them to you that way. In fact, many of the signs and symptoms of elder abuse do overlap with symptoms of mental deterioration, but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss them on the caregiver’s say-so.

The following are warning signs of some kind of elder abuse:

If you suspect elderly abuse, but aren't sure, look for clusters of the following physical and behavioral signs.

In addition to the general signs above, indications of emotional elder abuse include

It’s difficult to take care of a senior when he or she has many different needs, and it’s difficult to be elderly when age brings with it infirmities and dependence. Both the demands of caregiving and the needs of the elder can create situations in which abuse is more likely to occur.

Many nonprofessional caregivers — spouses, adult children, other relatives and friends — find taking care of an elder to be satisfying and enriching. But the responsibilities and demands of elder caregiving, which escalate as the elder’s condition deteriorates, can also be extremely stressful. The stress of elder care can lead to mental and physical health problems that make caregivers burned out, impatient, and unable to keep from lashing out against elders in their care.

Among caregivers, significant risk factors for elder abuse are

Even caregivers in institutional settings can experience stress at levels that lead to elder abuse. Nursing home staff may be prone to elder abuse if they lack training, have too many responsibilities, are unsuited to caregiving, or work under poor conditions.

Several factors concerning elders themselves, while they don’t excuse abuse, influence whether they are at greater risk for abuse:

In many cases, elder abuse, though real, is unintentional. Caregivers pushed beyond their capabilities or psychological resources may not mean to yell at, strike, or ignore the needs of the elders in their care.

Reporting Elder Abuse : How to Stand Up for an Older Adult in NeedTips for communicating effectively in different situations.

If you are an elder who is being abused, neglected, or exploited, tell at least one person. Tell your doctor, a friend, or a family member whom you trust. Other people care and can help you.

And if you see an older adult being abused or neglected, don’t hesitate to report the situation. Don’t assume that someone else will take care of it or that the person being abused is capable of getting help if he or she really needs it.

Many seniors don't report the abuse they face even if they’re able. Some fear retaliation from the abuser, while others believe that if they turn in their abusers, no one else will take care of them. When the caregivers are their children, they may be ashamed that their children are behaving abusively or blame themselves: “If I’d been a better parent when they were younger, this wouldn’t be happening.” Or they just may not want children they love to get into trouble with the law.

Every state has at least one toll-free elder abuse hotline or helpline for reporting elder abuse in the home, in the community, or in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. For help in your area, see the resources and references at the end of this article or talk to your local hospital or a trusted doctor or therapist.

The first agency to respond to a report of elderly abuse, in most states, is Adult Protective Services (APS). Its role is to investigate abuse cases, intervene, and offer services and advice. Again, the power and scope of APS varies from state to state.

We can help reduce the incidence of elder abuse, but it’ll take more effort than we’re making now. Preventing elder abuse means doing three things:

If you’re overwhelmed by the demands of caring for an elder, do the following:

And remember, elder abuse helplines offer help for caregivers as well. Call a helpline if you think there’s a possibility you might cross the line into elder abuse.

Finally, if you aren’t in a position to help an elder personally, you can volunteer or donate money to the cause of educating people about elder abuse, and you can lobby to strengthen state laws and policing so that elder abuse can be investigated and prosecuted more readily. 

The life you save down the line may be your own.

Call for Help   -  1-800-677-1116.
If someone is in immediate danger,

 call 911 or the local police for immediate help.

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If you are a male victim of abuse ...

You may be ashamed and scared that no one will believe you.

If you are from another country ...

 You may be afraid of being deported.
If your religion makes it hard to get help ...

 You may feel like you have to stay and not break up the family.
If you are a teen ...
National Dating Abuse Helpline | 1-866-331-9474  

1-866-331-8453 TTY 

You could be a victim of abuse, or at risk if you are dating someone who:

■is very jealous and/or spies on you
■will not let you break off the relationship
■hurts you in any way, is violent, or bragsabout hurting other people
■puts you down or makes you feel bad
■forces you to have sex or makes you afraid tosay no to sex
■abuses drugs or alcohol; pressures you to usedrugs or alcohol
■has a history of bad relationships and blamesit on others
It is hard for teens to leave their abuser if they go to the same school. They cannot hide. Gay and lesbian teens are very isolated. They can be scared they may have to reveal their sexual orientation.

If you think you are being abused, think about getting help. If your family or friends warn you about the person you are dating, think about getting help. Tell friends, family members or anybody you can trust.  There is help for you. You do not have to suffer in silence.

If you are a child in a violent home ...
National  Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD  (1-800-422-4453)

Are you being abused?

Most children in these homes know about the violence. Parents may think children do not know about the violence, but most of the time they do. Children often know what happened. They can feel helpless, scared and upset. They may also feel like the violence is their fault.

Violence in the home is dangerous for children. Children live with scary noises, yelling and hitting. They are afraid for their parents and themselves. Children feel bad that they cannot stop the abuse. If they try to stop the fight, they can be hurt. They can also be hurt by things that are thrown or weapons that are used. Children are harmed just by seeing and hearing the violence.

Children in violent homes may not get the care they need. A parent who is being abused may be in too much pain to take good care of their child.

Children who live in violent homes can have many problems. They can have trouble sleeping. They can have trouble in school and getting along with others. They often feel sad and scared all the time. They may grow up feeling bad about themselves. These problems do not go away on their own. They can be there even as the child gets older.

There is help for children in violent homes. Call a to talk to someone.

National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD  (1-800-422-4453)

Are you being abused?

 Thiscan also help if you grew up in a violent home.

If you are being stalked ... 


Stalking is repeated harassment that makes you feel scared or upset. A stalker can be someone you know or a stranger. They often bother people by giving them attention they do not want. This can be unwanted phone calls or gifts, or following people by going to where they work or live. It can also be threats to you or your family.

People may think stalking is not dangerous because no one has been physically hurt. Stalking is serious. It is against the law. It often turns to physical violence.

There is help. Find out how to get a Personal Protection Order (PPO). You can also tell the police. You can make a case by keeping track of what the stalker does by:


■telling the police every time the stalker makes contact with you
■keeping a book with you at all times so that you can write down the stalkers contacts
■saving phone messages from the stalker
■saving letters and gifts from the stalker
■writing down information about the stalker, like the way they look, kind of car they drive and license plate number

STALKING IS A CRIME. 

SAFETY ALERT

 

 

 

Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

 

Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)

 

Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-548-2722

 

 

 

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
1-800-537-2238

 

 

 

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