Elder abuse - the hidden shame of a ‘caring’ Irish Society

Every person - every man, woman and child - deserves to be treated with respect and with caring.
Every person - no matter how young or how old - deserves to be safe from harm by those who live with them, care for them, or come in day-to-day contact with them.
Older people today are more visible, more active, and more independent than ever before. They are living longer and in better health. But as the population of older people grows, so does the hidden problem of elder abuse, exploitation, and neglect. The exact incidence and extent of the problem is unknown and extremely difficult to report as many of those suffering are reluctant to report incidences for fear of rejection and estrangement. Another factor is that many victims are unable to formulate clearly the abuse.
Like other forms of abuse, elder abuse is a complex problem, and it is easy for people to have misconceptions about it. Many people who hear “elder abuse and neglect” think about older people living in nursing homes or about elderly relatives who live all alone and never have visitors. But elder abuse is not just a problem of older people living on the margins of our everyday life. It is right in our midst. According to Dr Des O’Neill a consultant geriatric physician at Tallaght Hospital who leads the national Age-Related Healthcare Project “ There has been almost no research into elder abuse in Ireland, but we have no reason to think that the extent of the problem here is any different to anywhere else. Research elsewhere has shown that between 3% and 5% of older people experience regular abuse in some form.” A study into elder abuse by the National Council for Ageing and Older people estimated that as many as 12,000 older Irish people might be suffering from some form of abuse at any given time.
Most incidents of elder abuse don’t happen in a nursing home. With the recent media reporting of such abuses there can be a tendency on most people’s part that this is the sector where most abuse takes place whereas in fact most elder abuse and neglect takes place at home. The great majority of older people live on their own or with spouses, children, siblings or other relatives – not in institutional settings. When elder abuse abuse happens, family, other household members, an paid caregivers usually are the abusers. Although there are extreme cases of elder abuse, often the abuse is subtle, and the distinction between normal interpersonal stress and abuse is not always easy to discern.
There is no single pattern of elder abuse in the home. Sometimes the abuse is a continuation of long-standing patterns of physical or emotional abuse within the family. Perhaps, more commonly, the abuse is related to changes in living situations and relationships brought about by the older person’s growing frailty and dependence on others for companionship and for meeting basic needs.
Elder abuse takes many forms, it is not just physical abuse. Emotional and psychological abuse occur in addition to financial exploitation or intentional or unintentional neglect of an older adult by the caregiver. Emotional or psychological abuse can range from name-calling or giving the “silent treatment” to indimidating and threatening the individual. It can also include treating the older person like a child and isolating the person from family, friends, and regular activities.
Caregiver neglect can range from caregiving strategies that withhold appropriate attention from the individual to intentionally failing to meet the physical, social or emotional needs of the older person. Neglect can include failure to provide water, food, clothing, medications, and assistance with activities of daily living or help with personal hygiene. If the caregiver has responsibility for paying bills for the older person, neglect also can include failure to pay the bills or to manage the elder person’s money responsibly.

Importantly, while abuse comes in many guises, the net effect is the same. Abuse creates potentially dangerous situations and feelings of worthlessness, and it isolates the older person from people who can help.

How can we prevent Elder Abuse?
The report, ‘Abuse, neglect and mistreatment of Older People’ by the National Council for Ageing and Older People found that the reluctance of society to recognize the problem of elder abuse is the merely following a pattern of how such abuses come to be accepted. The first and most important step toward preventing elder abuse is to recognize that no one – of whatever age – should be subjected to violent, abusive humiliating or neglectful behaviour. In addition to promoting this social attitude, positive steps include educating people about elder abuse, increasing the availability of respite care, promoting increased social contact and support for families with dependent older adults, and encouraging counselling and treatment to cope with personal and family problems that contribute to abuse.
Violence, abuse, and neglect toward elders are signs that the people involved need help – immediately. Media coverage of abuse in nursing homes has made the public knowledgeable about – and outraged against – abusive treatment in those settings. Because most abuse occurs in the home by family members or caregivers, there needs to be a concerted effort to educate the public about the special needs and problems of the elderly and about the risk factors for abuse.

What can you do about ElderAbuse? If you suspect that an older person is being abused or neglected, don’t let your fear of meddling in someone else’s business stop you from reporting your suspicions. You could be saving someone’s life. Do not put the older person in a more vulnerable position by confronting the abuser yourself unless you have the victim’s permission and are in a position to help the victim immediately by moving him or her to a safe place.

If you feel you are being abused or neglected talk to someone about the abuse such as your doctor, a trusted friend, a family member, someone. If your abuser is threatening you with greater abuse if you tell anyone, and if the abuser refuses to leave you alone in a room with other who could help, you are probably afraid to let anyone know what is happening to you. A good strategy here is let your doctor know about the abuse who has a legal obligation to report the abuser and to help you find safety. If you are able to make phone calls, call a protective agency or a trusted friend.

If you feel you have been abusive or are in danger of abusing an older person in your care get immediate help. The solution may be as simple as organizing some respite care. Again talk with someone who can help. If you recognize that abuse, neglect, or violence is a way you often solve problems, you will need expert help to break old patterns. The most important thing for you is to be honest - with yourself and with those who want to help you. Someone’s life - and your own - may depend on it.
Age Action Ireland Ltd:
Tel: 01 4756989 / 4756001 Fax: 01 4756 011 / 4756 008
30 / 31 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2.
e-mail: ageact@indigo.ie
website: www.ageaction.ie