Elder Abuse and Social Media - Libraries, Community Centers, Nursing Homes

Older Americans are far more computer literate than most folks like to think. A visit to any Chicago Public Library, Senior Center, or equipped nursing home will find available pc's filled, and normally with a waiting list. Most older citizens are Net Savvy and take advantage of the many offerings that the Internet has available. Public Libraries, Community Centers and Nursing Homes also provide training classes year round which are normally filled with eager students of all ages.

One of the most easily facilitated forms of elder abuse is passive neglect.  I saw an example just the other night here, at our north side facility.

An older woman, quite heavy and wheel chair-bound, was sitting with me, and when she asked for help in getting the assistance of one of our CNA's, I had to walk across the room, and ask the worker three times.

Finally, he came to the assistance of the woman, she was wheeled off to the bathroom, and all was settled.  This is an example of PASSIVE NEGLECT - simply doing nothing, while the elder is ignored.  I'd only seen it once here, since our facility, has an excellent staff, but it does happen.  Other examples of this form of abuse follow:

Elder abuse is the least recognized form of family violence.
(The following information is based on the Illinois Elder Abuse Annual Report 2006)

Elder abuse takes many forms, and in most cases victims are subjected to more than one type of mistreatment. In Illinois, 58% of elder abuse reports allege financial exploitation; approximately 22% allege physical abuse; 39% allege active or passive neglect; and 43% allege emotional abuse.

• Physical Abuse – causing the infliction of physical pain or injury to an older person.
• Sexual abuse – touching, fondling, or any other sexual activity with an older person when the older person is unable to understand, unwilling to consent, threatened, or physically forced.
• Emotional abuse – verbal assaults, threats of abuse, harassment, or intimidation so as to compel the older person to engage in conduct from which she or he has a right to abstain or to refrain from conduct in which the older person has a right to engage.
• Confinement – restraining or isolating an older person for other than medical reasons.
• Passive neglect – the failure by a caregiver to provide an older person with the necessities of life including, but not limited to, food, clothing, shelter, or medical care, because of failure to understand the older person’s needs, lack of awareness of services to help meet needs, or lack of capacity to care for the older person.
• Willful deprivation – willfully denying assistance to an older person who requires medication, medical care, shelter, food, therapeutic device, or other physical assistance, thereby exposing that person to the risk of harm.
• Financial exploitation – the misuse or withholding of an older person’s resources to the disadvantage of the elderly person and/or the profit or advantage of another person.

http://www.state.il.us/aging/1abuselegal/abuse_what-is.htm

While nursing home abuse and neglect exist, most of the cases go un-reported.  We'll get to that at another time, but for now we'll examine non-nursing home abuse and neglect.

The poor elderly are most at risk, since their defenses against the abuse are very limited.  Often, even if they do have a phone, or access to email, they lack the abilities to use them.  The abusers are fully aware of these loop holes in elder care and exploit them to their advantage.

Frequently, the cause of abuse is not malicious intent, but simply a desire not to be bothered.  Not making a bed, or changing a person (which can result in bed sores) are examples seen frequently. Not providing proper nourishment and medication as required are other types of abuse often seen.

The greater the degree of mental disease or dementia, the greater the potential for abuse, most often through neglect.  Financial exploitation is another area where this occurs. I personally know a man in our facility who was swindled out of $50,000.00 via forged checks.  Though he has the evidence. he is having a difficult time getting the States Attorney to follow up on it. A visit to the Chicago Police has also resulted in no action so far. I actually saw this man in tears, since his mobility is limited by a walker, he is very frustrated and feels abandoned by the law.

Reporting abuse is simple via the Illinois Department of Aging, but the elderly are often not aware of the options at their disposal.  Often they do not have the proper phone numbers, and access to the Internet is limited in the general population, living with family, friends, or independently

A good place to begin the process of doing something about abuse is the Illinois Department of Aging.