Elder Abuse And Neglect Injuries

The American Psychological Association states that every year an estimated 2.1 million older Americans are victims of physical, psychological, or other forms of abuse and neglect and elder abuse is not just a problem of older people living on the margins of our everyday life.  According to the American Psychological Association at http://www.apa.org/pi/aging/eldabuse.html , most incidents of elder abuse do not happen in a nursing home.  Instead, most elder abuse and neglect occurs at home.  In this regard, the American Psychological Association defines elder abuse as the infliction of physical, emotional, or psychological harm on older adults which can also take the form of financial exploitation or intentional or unintentional neglect of an older adult by the caregiver.  Sometimes older adults harm themselves through self-neglect (e.g., not eating, not going to the doctor for needed care) or because of alcohol or drug abuse.  As stated by the Association, abuse creates potentially dangerous situations and feelings of worthlessness, and it isolates the older person from people who can help.  It is a complex problem that can emerge from several different causes, and that often has roots in multiple factors, including, for example, dependency, financial burden, lack of respect for the elderly, and, among others, family stress.  In order to receive help, people can turn to state agencies on aging and such organizations as the National Center on Elder Abuse at www.elderabusecenter.org or (202)898-2586.