This article is part 2 of a nine part special on “Aging in America: Perspectives From the Psychological Science” published in May/June 2016 by American Psychologist. See part one here!
Did you know that elder abuse affects 4.3 million senior citizens in the United States? That’s almost 1 out of every 10 people age 65+, and that’s just the abuse reported!
A new paper in the American Psychologist journal by Dr. Karen Roberto, a senior fellow at Virginia Tech University’s Center for Gerontology, notes that there is “no consensus on the definition of elder abuse or standard term for elder abuse consistently used by the scientific and practice communities, advocates, or state and local governments.”
Regardless of the terminology, here are the five types of elder abuse most commonly reported; physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, and neglect and abandonment.
If you or a loved one feels like you are experiencing any of the above forms of mistreatment, you should seek assistance immediately. If not, it is important to be aware of the risk factors involved in elder abuse.
Elders are vulnerable because of their age, and sometimes even more vulnerable because of their living arrangements, gender, or physical and cognitive impairments. For example, elder females tend to have a higher risk of experience abuse than males. However, older men often fail to acknowledge whether they are experiencing abuse, but research shows that elder abuse is a significant problem for both genders.
According to Dr. Roberto, cognitive impairment has the highest risk of elder abuse. As cognitive abilities decline, so do judgement and financial decision-making abilities. An elder is much more likely to be reliant on someone else to make decisions, and is more likely to assume people are trustworthy.
Social support has an inverse effect on the likelihood that an elder will experience abuse. A strong social network is a good indicator of well being amongst elders, and tends to moderate the risk of abuse. Even when perpetrators of elder abuse are found within social networks, elders are less likely to be victims if they have a dense social support system of older adults. Elder abuse perpetrators can be anyone from a spouse, a friend, or even an adult child. Paid caregivers can also be abusive to the elders they care for.
The impacts of elder abuse take physical, emotional and psychological forms.
All three forms can have a large impact on the elder’s ultimate quality of life. The physical consequences tend to be visible, like broken bones, bruises and brain trauma. However, the emotional consequences are harder to notice, but can have the most damaging effects. Elder abuse can lead to increased depression, anxiety and poor mental health late in life. Elder’s may internalize this abuse, and it is often manifested by depressive and anxious behavior. Learn more about different types of elder abuse here.
There are many different ways that psychological science is attempting to diminish the frequency of elder abuse.
Adult Protective Services (APS) is the principal agency in charge of investigating the abuse an elder has gone through, and ultimately protecting them from further harm. Mental health services are also authorized to address the emotional consequences of elder abuse like trauma, anxiety, and stress. These services are extremely effective, and have led to 61% of abused elders reporting improvements in their coping abilities.
Multi-disciplinary teams are also working alongside APS and mental health services to work with victims through the intervention process. They offer consultation services and strive to identify how the intervention processes could be improved in the future. Finally, state and national initiatives have gained traction through the AARP, a foundation that addresses elder financial exploitation, and the NCEA, a resource center dedicated to addressing elder abuse and mistreatment. Ultimately, it will take sustained effort to address the problem in full, but the most important step is awareness and seeking help immediately after said gained awareness.
