Elder abuse can take many forms, including physical, psychological, sexual, and financial abuse as well as neglect. Common perpetrators are family members and caregivers who may be under stress. Risk factors include poor health of the victim, mental illness or substance abuse of the abuser, and social isolation. Prevention strategies involve public awareness, screening, caregiver support, and standards to protect elders' rights and well-being.

1. D R . A N J A L A T C H I M U T H U K U M A R A N
V I C E P R I N C I P A L
E R A C O L L E G E O F N U R S I N G
Unit-VI
Elder abuse

2. Introduction
 Abuse of Elderly Persons Abuse of elderly persons can
occur in their,own home, hospitals or homes for the
aged.
 The abuse may be the family member or a caregiver.
There are different forms of abuse . Sometimes
intentional harm may be done to the elderly.
 elder abuse is defined as the wiful Infliction of injury,
unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment
with , resultant harm or pain or mental anguish or
deprivation by an individual including a care take of
gods or services that are necessary to attain or maintain
physical, mental and psychosocial well-being.

3. What is elder abuse
 Elder abuse is a single or repeated act, or lack of
appropriate action, occurring within any relationship
where there is an expectation of trust, which causes
harm or distress to an older person. This type of
violence constitutes a violation of human rights and
includes physical, sexual, psychological, and
emotional abuse; financial and material abuse;
abandonment; neglect; and serious loss of dignity
and respect.


4. Elder neglect
 Elder neglect is defined as any failure to provide
goods 0r services necessary to avoid physical harm.,
mental anguish,or mental illness (U.S. Department
of Health and Human Science, )

5. Types of Abuse
 1. Physical abuse.
 2. Psychological abuse.
 3. Exploitation.
 4. Psychological neglect.
 5. Self neglect,
 6. Violation of rights.
 7. Sexual abuse.

6. Forms of abuse
 The common forms of abuse of elderly persons are as follows.
 Physical abuse
 Hitting, pushing, kicking
 Inappropriate use of drugs or restraints
 Psychological or emotional abuse - Insults, threats, humiliation,
controlling behavior, confinement and isolation.
 Financial abuse - Misusing or stealing a person’s money or assets
 Neglect or abandonment - Not providing food, housing, or medical
care
 Sexual abuse - Sexual contact without consent
 Abusive acts in institutions - physically restraining patients, depriving
them of dignity (for instance, by leaving them in soiled clothes) and choice
over daily affairs; intentionally providing insufficient care (such as allowing
them to develop pressure sores); over- and under-medicating and
withholding medication from patients; and emotional neglect and abuse.


7. Physical abuse
 Physical abuse refers to any use of force resulting in
bodily injury. physical pain or physical impairment.
This may involve such acts of violence as striking.
pushing, shaking.
 slapping kicking,
 pinching and burning.
 It may also mean inappropriate use of medication,
restraints, force feeding. and physical punishments
of any kind.

8. Psychological abuse or emotional abuse
 Psychological or emotional abuse is the infliction of
pain or distress through verbal or nonverbal acts.
 It may include verbal assaults, insults, threats,
intimidation, humiliation and harassment.
 It also can take the form of abusive language. silence
Or isolation.

9. Sexual abuse
 Sexual abuse refers to sexual contact with any person
incapable of giving consent. It may include unwanted
touching or any type of sexual assault or battery,.
including rape, sodomy. coerced nudity and sexually
exploiting photograph (pornography).
 Psychological or emotional abuse is the infliction of
pain or distress through verbal or nonverbal acts. It
may include verbal assaults, insults, threats,
intimidation, humiliation and harassment.
 It also can take the form of abusive language. silence
or isolation.

10. Abandonment
 Abandonment is the desertion of an elderly person
by an individual who has assumed responsibility for
providing care or by a person with physical custody.

11. Financial or material exploitation
 Financial or material exploitation includes the illegal
or improper use of an elder's funds, property or
assets.
 This may involve the use of funds without
permission, forging a signature, misusing or stealing
possessions, coercing or deceiving the elder into
signing any document and improper use of power of
attorney or guardianship.

12. Self neglect
 Self neglect is the behaviour of an elderly person that
threatens his own health or safety. This includes any
person who is not mentally or physically capable for
self care.

13. indication of Self Neglect
 1. Inability to maintain activities s of daily living such
as personal care, shopping, meal preparation or
other household tasks.
 2.Inability to obtain adequate food and fluid as
indicated by malnutrition or dehydration.
 3. Poor hygienic practices as indicated by body
odour, sores. rashes, or inadequate or soiled
clothing.

14. Continued
 4Changes in mental functions such as confusion,
inappropriate response, disorientation or
incoherence.
 5. Inability to manage personal finances indicated by
failure to pay bills, boarding or giving away money
improperly.
 6. failure to keep important business or medical
appointments
 7.life threatening or suicidal acts such as wandering ,
isolation or substances abuse.

15. People responsible for elder abuse
 People who commit elder abuse are often in a
position of trust.
 At Home : Family members - mostly adult children,
spouses and partners.
 Health care workers : Nursing homes, Long-
term care facilities

16. Risk factors
 Risk factors that may increase the potential for
abuse of an older person
Individual
 Risks at the individual level include poor physical and
mental health of the victim, and mental disorders and
alcohol and substance abuse in the abuser. Other
individual-level factors which may increase the risk of
abuse include the gender of victim and a shared living
situation. While older men have the same risk of abuse as
women, in some cultures where women have inferior
social status, elderly women are at higher risk of neglect
and financial abuse (such as seizing their property) when
they are widowed. Women may also be at higher risk of
more persistent and severe forms of abuse and injury.

17. Relationship
 A shared living situation is a risk factor for elder
abuse. It is not yet clear whether spouses or adult
children of older people are more likely to perpetrate
abuse. An abuser's dependency on the older person
(often financial) also increases the risk of abuse. In
some cases, a long history of poor family
relationships may worsen as a result of stress when
the older person becomes more care dependent.
Finally, as more women enter the workforce and
have less spare time, caring for older relatives
becomes a greater burden, increasing the risk of
abuse.

18. Community
 Social isolation of caregivers and older persons, and
the ensuing lack of social support, is a significant risk
factor for elder abuse by caregivers. Many elderly
people are isolated because of loss of physical or
mental capacity, or through the loss of friends and
family members.

19. Socio-cultural
 Socio-cultural factors that may affect the risk of elder
abuse include:
 depiction of older people as frail, weak and dependent;
 erosion of the bonds between generations of a family;
 systems of inheritance and land rights, affecting the
distribution of power and material goods within families;
 migration of young couples, leaving elderly parents alone
in societies where older people were traditionally cared
for by their offspring; and
 lack of funds to pay for care.

20. to occur where:
 standards for health care, welfare services, and care
facilities for elder persons are low;
 where staff are poorly trained, remunerated, and
overworked;
 where the physical environment is deficient; and
 where policies operate in the interests of the
institution rather than the residents.

21. Risk factors for committing elder abuse
 Using or abusing drugs or alcohol
 High stress levels
 Depression
 ack of social support
 Lack of training in how to care for older people
 Emotional or financial dependence on the older
person


22. Prevention
 Many strategies have been implemented to prevent elder
abuse and to take action against it and mitigate its
consequences. Interventions that have been
implemented – mainly in high-income countries – to
prevent abuse include:
 public and professional awareness campaigns
 screening (of potential victims and abusers)
 school-based intergenerational programmes
 caregiver support interventions (including stress
management and respite care)
 residential care policies to define and improve standards
of care
 caregiver training on dementia.

23. Efforts to respond to and prevent further
abuse include interventions such as:
 mandatory reporting of abuse to authorities
 self-help groups
 safe-houses and emergency shelters
 psychological program for abusers
 Help-lines to provide information and referrals
 caregiver support interventions.

24. Question related to topic
 Define elderly abuse?
 Define neglect?
 Define abandonment?
 Define elder neglect?
 List out the type of elderly abuse ?
 Describe the elderly abuse in detail?
 Define self neglect? And enlist indication of self
neglects?

25. References
 Source : WHO