Senior Citizen Abuse

When you choose to place members of your family in the care of strangers, you assume they will be treated with dignity. But this is not always the case. According to the National Center for Elder Abuse (NCEA ), approximately 8,000 cases of elder abuse are reported in the State of Illinois each year, and those are just the reported incidents. He does not know how many other victims do not tell their families the pain they endure because of fear, shame or guilt.

The Ugly side of care delivery

Although there are three general categories of elderly abuse elderly abuse domestic institutional elder abuse, and self-neglect or abuse of self-abuse-institutional is the farthest from your control.

institutional violence is violence that occurs in residential homes for the elderly (eg nursing homes, foster homes, group homes, board and care facilities), according to the NCEA. Abusers are usually people from a legal or contractual obligation to provide victims of elderly care and protection (eg, pay health care providers, staff and professionals).

Types of institutional violence and their symptoms are the following:

· The physical abuse - bruises, pressure marks, broken bones, scrapes and burns

· The sexual abuse - bruises around the breasts or genitals

· Emotional or psychological - Withdrawal of normal and mild depression and odd behavior changes, threatening or violent interaction with other

· Neglect - bedsores, unattended medical needs, hygiene, and drastic weight loss

· Financial or material exploitation - sudden fluctuations in the accounts of money or other tangible assets

· Self-neglect

· Abandonment

These problems are not new. Abuse, in this context has been officially defined in 1987 as part of a series of amendments to the Act on older Americans, according to the NCEA. Unfortunately, the language of these amendments is nothing more than identify the problem. There was no way for victims of violence or their families to seek redress for wrongs done to them. The legislature has attempted to improve the situation in 1992, 2000 and 2006 through amendments to the Act on older Americans, but available statistics indicate the problem is still unresolved.

Help on the way

If you have recently learned of a family member or friend of the family being abused, you do not have to fight against these institutions alone. After you have created the problem, do not go digging in the legal aspects of obtaining, even by yourself. There is help available in your state, and it is just a phone call.