Nursing Home Abuse and Elder Abuse

The publicizing of elder abuse over the last decade has highlighted how the abuse affects others in a community.  Communities are often judged on how they treat senior citizens. While exact definitions of elder abuse vary from state to state, the NationalCenter on Elder Abuse allows that abuse can be broadly defined in three different categories.

·         Domestic elder abuse

·         Institutional elder abuse

·         Self-neglect

Domestic elder abuse typically takes place in the older person’s home, and is usually at the hand of someone they know and trust.  Institutional abuse takes place in a nursing home or other long term care facility, and the workers at the care facility or fellow residents of the facility may be responsible for carrying out the abuse.  Self-neglect or abuse is demonstrated by an elder person’s choice to consciously disregard his/her own health interests, hygiene, or personal safety.

Reporting Elder Abuse

There are several national resources to assist those who know someone to be a victim of elder abuse.  The aforementioned link designates state elder abuse hotlines for those in need of support.  In individual states, the AdultProtective Services department can also help older Americans who cannot help themselves.  

-written by Courtney Mills


 

 

See Also

  1. Nursing Home Neglect
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