Elders are very vulnerable, and elder abuse is something which is deliberate most of the time. It does not bother the younger generations most of the times that at what time the dinner is served to the father, how the mother is doing or even did the grandmother get her fruits or bathe she is expecting. It may surprise you, but most of the time the young ones do not offer their elders what they desire. The change of behavior comes naturally and is not realized by people that they have started treating their elders like a pile of burden. Losing temper on them, using threatening behavior or not accepting their wishes are also a part of elder abuse. The younger generation avoids them as they are too tired to listen to them.
Even the thought of hurting someone who is elder to you is frightening, but it happens in most of the places. Unfortunately the generation difference or should we call it understanding difference takes charge and leads to elder abuse. When it happens on a regular basis, it stops bothering us and becomes more usual. Therefore we stop preventing or stopping it.
Types Of Elder Abuse
Abuse can be defined in many ways. It differs on the basis of men and women as well. Verbal abuse is something which involves abusing someone with words or putting an elder down by saying things that they do not deserve. If a caregiver is verbally putting comments that can cause damage to your elder’s self-confidence, self-worth or self-esteem.
The financial abuse happens when any senior signs a power of attorney to other people. Financial abuse often happens when you take the advantage of a senior’s trust, gullibility, and vulnerability. It can involve perpetrators and scams. If the elders or seniors supervise someone else to take care of some worthy property, they take advantage of that trust leads to financial abuse. This is also the most common abuse that happens.
Mental abuse, emotional abuse or psychological abuse meaning the same thing happens when the caregiver tries to manipulate the elder person to take advantage. This commonly happens to delegate information or deliberately to try to control. Giving emotional or mental suffering to a senior is a part of the psychological abuse. This could be controlling their mind by manipulating them.
Physical abuse, unfortunately, the worst kind of abuse that happens more than we would want to accept. When frustration and impatience dominate us, and we are triggered to perform some actions which end up in physical abuse. Physical abuse like pulling hair, skin tearing, hemorrhages, bruising, scratching, slapping, pinching, falling or anything which involves any kind of rough bodily contact. Any rough physical behavior between a senior or any other person will be considered physical abuse.
The more important issue is how to prevent them from happening. Let us now see how can we actually prevent or stop it to happen.
#1. Most Importantly, Avoid Keeping The Elders Isolated
Isolating your elders can lead to depression and loneliness most of the times. If you will leave them isolated, it will anyway torture them emotionally and mentally. If their children are not taking care of them, who else will? This kind of isolation can increase the chances of abuse and neglect even more. In order to keep them free from emotional or mental trauma, just do not isolate them. Avoiding isolating elders will keep them positive and secure about their importance in the life of their young relatives.
#2. Awareness Is Important
There is an extreme importance to aware everyone around about the elder abuse and how pathetic a crime is this. There is a need for the people to know how bad things can turn after indulging in elder abuse. Public awareness is a multi-faceted problem which needs to be solved through education, services, research, and policy. There should be well-coordinated responses. Awareness can be practiced only if it is done in a mass movement. Just a few people knowing about it won’t help very massively.
#3. Caregiving Is Their Support System
There should be a support system with the elders. Caregivers, whether they are paid or unpaid like a family member plays a very significant role in keeping the elders from elder abuse. They have a critical role in preventing any sort of elder abuse as they are most of the time around the seniors and take care of them most of the time. Caregivers, as the term suggests, keeps the good care of the elders. If you do not have the time, spend most of it with your elders than you can probably keep a paid caregiver but a trustworthy one.
#4. Stay In Touch With Your Elders
The most important thing for the elders is that they do not have anyone to share their things with. They usually just are left alone as the family does not talk to them very often. However, if you only take out time to spend with them or even talk to them for some time daily, that will be enough to keep them happy and positive for the whole day. Taking their views on most of the things will keep them sure about the fact that they have an important part in the family.
#5. Encourage Your Elders To Attend Religious Activities And Events
If the elders will be busy in themselves, they will enjoy their life more than ever. Encourage them to attend the events they like. Any event of reading or probably cooking will keep entertainment in their life. They will have the things to look forward in their life. Elder people usually love to attend the religious services and community activities. Being the younger ones, you should encourage them to do what they like. Also, it will keep them engaged in something that they like.
#6. Try And Keep Your Elders Active
It is healthy and feels good to be active in the old age. It also prolongs an elder’s life. If the elders are active and positive, there will be a lesser chance for them to be a victim of elder abuse. They will be healthier and happier if they will keep their mind and body active. If the elders are passive, they are more vulnerable to elder abuse. Let them roam around in the evening or morning. Share the small household work. They can probably buy fresh fruits and vegetables for the house while they are on a walk.
#7. Don’t Allow Them To Be With Someone Violent
Be conscious of the people whom they are getting along. You need to take care of the people they are roaming with or spending their most time with. If you somewhere feel that those people are not safe to be with, ask your elders to stop being in their company. People manipulate elders and take advantage of their kind behavior. In order to avoid such circumstances, you need to look at the people they are spending their day with. If a person they are with has a violent history, immediately ask them to leave such circle.
#8. Make The Elders Part Of Financial Decisions
Whether it is their own financial affair or any other financial affair of the house, they should be aware of that. They should be the sole person who should have complete control on their financial issues. In this case, there will be so much lesser chances of financial abuse that we discussed above. Financial abuse can actually tear the elders apart as they won’t even be having money to complete their basic need if they become a victim of financial abuse. Of course, they need people in the family to trust, but keep everything under their control.
#9. Make Travel Plans With Them
Travelling with your elders can refresh them once in a while, and it also strengthens the bond between the family so that there are no chances of any elder abuse in the family. Travelling with the whole family along with the elders will keep their old age life happy and peaceful. They will have a whole new experience and also some amazing memories to have for their peaceful days. An enriched experience with family once in awhile is very important to keep the family intact.
#10. Take Action If Someone Does It
Being responsible for this issue is significant to stop it. Preventing it from happening in your own family is first, but also keep an eye around that if someone else does it take a stand against it. If people around are doing such elder abuse, you should feel a responsibility to take action towards it or try to stop it in the best way possible. Also, inform some community which takes care of such situation about any abuse happening around.
This was our guide to prevent and stop the elder abuse which is among the most crucial issues of this time. Let us know your thoughts about this in the comment section below.
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