What are the Risk Factors of Elder Abuse and How to Prevent it?

October 6, 2022    Civillawyers
What are the Risk Factors of Elder Abuse and How to Prevent it?

Elder abuse is a failure of proper treatment that results in risk or harm to an older individual. An individual who is above the age of 60 and is experiencing abuse at the hand of the caregiver or not getting the proper amount of care and support in their old age is termed as elder abuse.

 

If an individual is going through any of these situations, they can accordingly contact an elder law lawyers Perth and address their problems to take the necessary steps.

 

What are the Risk Factors of Elder Abuse?

The most common instance where an individual experiences abuse is when they are fully and completely dependent on an individual. The form of abuse can be done in different forms. If anyone is experiencing abuse, it must be stopped at the earliest and necessary steps must be taken.

 

However, in order to prevent it or put a stop to it, it must also be identified how the individual is being abused. The different factors that have a hand in increasing the risk of abuse for a senior citizen are:

Risk for Caregiver

The mental state of any caregiver is dependent on the life situation that the individual is currently going through at that particular moment. Taking care of the needs and requirements of an older person who is completely dependent on someone can often be a very challenging task.

 

This kind of responsibility must not be taken by any individual who is not entirely prepared for the task. This increases the risk of elder abuse as they might be able to properly take care of the individual according to their exact needs.

 

If the caregiver is facing the following problems, there is a higher chance for them to cause elder risk. Identify these signs and further help the elder and take the necessary actions.

  • Caring for the individual without proper mental health or poor physical health
  • Limited access and knowledge about elder care and services
  • Emotionally and financially dependent on the elderly person
  • Negative behaviour towards an older individual
  • Bad coping skills
  • Does not have a proper social support
  • Suffers from mental illness or any kind of substance abuse
  • Is not trained properly in caregiving facility for an ender
  • Not responsible

Risks in an Institution Facility

There are a great number of risks that an elderly person may face in a caregiving facility or a nursing facility. It is best advised that before you check in and select a nursing facility for your loved one, you must always look at the facilities that are provided by the facility.

 

Oftentimes in a nursing facility or a caregiving faculty, the staff are highly overworked, which further results in staff exhaustion and burnout. This is one of the major causes of rushed care or negligent care.

 

A nursing facility may have a higher chance of elder abuse if the particular facility has the following traits or signs.

  • Higher staff turnover rate
  • Ill hiring practices, the facility must run a proper background check
  • Bad administrative oversight
  • The working conditions are stressful
  • Negative staffs
  • Bad behaviour of staff

If you are searching for an elder living facility for your loved one, you must avoid a care facility with these signs. Go through the list of elder law that is supported and promoted by a particular facility before selecting it.

 

How to Prevent Elder Abuse –

Elder abuse can not be prevented on every occasion, but you must have a keen eye to notice whether your loved one is in distress or not. You can take the necessary steps accordingly in order to reduce the risk of elder abuse.

 

On occasion, if your loved one resides at a facility or at home, you must have frequent interaction and do a regular check-in. This is one of the best ways to ensure their safety and make sure they are not being subjected to elder abuse. Implement these factors to prevent Elder Abuse at Home

1. Keep elders engaged in their communities

Senior citizens who are linked to a particular community or a friendship circle are usually unlikely to fall under the trap of elder abuse.
It is usually accounted for an individual to face abuse if they are mostly finding instances where they are lonely or isolated. This is one of the prime traits that encourage abuse.

2. Keep the elders active

Senior folks who usually experience poor health are more at risk of being subjected to abuse and taken advantage of. If an individual is also not to the best of their health, it increases the instance of them being dependent on their caregiver.

 

Also, this is an opportunity that leaves ample room for the caregiver to be negligent. If the elderly person is also very dependent on the caregiver, they cause additional stress and further increase the risk of burnout.

3. Support Primary Caregivers

When the duty and responsibility to take care of a single dependent elder is divided between trusted adults, the load of responsibilities is divided among them. One Particular individual does not have to take the sole responsibility.

 

This helps in lowering the stress level of one individual, further reducing the risk of elder abuse.

4. Elders must be protected from high-risk caregivers –

The caregiving duties of an elder citizen must not be given to an individual who is not in the best state of mind. Also, someone who has a history of abuse and violence in their past must be avoided. Check Out – personal injury rules

 

The caregiver must be at the best of their emotional, psychological and financial condition. Someone who is not doing their absolute best in any of the following areas taking care of an extra individual may add extra stress. This may further result in elder abuse.

5. Taking into consideration Financial Abuse –

Any particular individual who is in charge of the caregiving duties of a particular person must be aware of the financial condition of the individual.

 

It should also be notified about any financial stress that the person might be facing.

6. Extra Care

Along with all these precautionary steps, you must also ensure that you are keeping track of any signs of elder abuse for your loved one.
You must also make sure to call your loved ones regularly to enquire how they are doing and whether or not they are facing any issues or not.

 

If your loved one is residing at a facility and not at your home, you must also make sure to make regular visits to the institution. This will help you in keeping a tab on your loved ones and address any problems that they might be facing.

 

If they are experiencing any problem with the facility, it must be addressed at the earliest and necessary precautionary steps must be taken.

 

To Conclude

When an individual is in their older stages of life, it is usually estimated they require extensive care and love. However, this is often seen by certain individuals as a room for ill-treatment.

 

It is a very common factor for dependent elders to be subjected to abuse in their later days as they are highly dependent on someone. This can be particularly rough on the individual who faces it. Extra care and importance must be given to such individuals, and proper measures must be taken to ensure that they don’t experience any form of abuse.

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