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What Is Elder Abuse

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 05:33:53 GMT

What Is Elder Abuse

Each year hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected, and exploited. Many victims are older, frail, and vulnerable and cannot help themselves and depend on others to meet their most basic needs. Abusers of older adults are both women and men, and may be family members, friends, or “trusted others.”

In general, elder abuse is a term referring to any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. Legislatures in all 50 states have passed some form of elder abuse prevention laws. Laws and definitions of terms vary considerably from one state to another, but broadly defined, abuse may be:

Physical Abuse — inflicting physical pain or injury on a senior, e.g. slapping, bruising, or restraining by physical or chemical means.
Sexual Abuse — non-consensual sexual contact of any kind.
Neglect — the failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for a vulnerable elder.
Exploitation — the illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a senior for someone else's benefit.
Emotional Abuse — inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elder person through verbal or nonverbal acts, e.g. humiliating, intimidating, or threatening.
Abandonment — desertion of a vulnerable elder by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person.
Self-neglect — characterized as the failure of a person to perform essential, self-care tasks and that such failure threatens his/her own health or safety.

What are the warning signs of elder abuse?

While one sign does not necessarily indicate abuse, some tell-tale signs that there could be a problem are:

Bruises, pressure marks, broken bones, abrasions, and burns may be an indication of physical abuse, neglect, or mistreatment.
Unexplained withdrawal from normal activities, a sudden change in alertness, and unusual depression may be indicators of emotional abuse.
Bruises around the breasts or genital area can occur from sexual abuse.
Sudden changes in financial situations may be the result of exploitation.
Bedsores, unattended medical needs, poor hygiene, and unusual weight loss are indicators of possible neglect.
Behavior such as belittling, threats, and other uses of power and control by spouses are indicators of verbal or emotional abuse.
Strained or tense relationships, frequent arguments between the caregiver and elderly person are also signs.

Most importantly, be alert. The suffering is often in silence. If you notice changes in a senior’s personality or behavior, you should start to question what is going on.

Remember, it is not your role to verify that abuse is occurring, only to alert others of your suspicions. Please visit the webpage What If I Suspect Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation? to learn what you should do if you are concerned that someone you know is being abused.

Resources And Links

National Elder Abuse Incidence Study

Domestic Violence in Later Life

What If I Suspect Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation?

National on Elder Abuse

AoA Prevention of Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation program

Keep in touch with site visitors and boost loyalty

webteam@katbroconsulting.com (Katie Browder-Person) — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 16:29:36 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. Tell them about sales and new products or update them with tips and information.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

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When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

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Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

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Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

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A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

webteam@katbroconsulting.com (Katie Browder-Person) — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 16:29:36 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

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Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.