America is aging and aging quickly. Between 1990 and the 2020 the number of persons over 50 will increase by 74%. Those under 50 will increase by only 1%. America is also living longer. If you are a 50 year old female with no illnesses related to the heart or cancer, your life expectancy is 82; if you are a 65 year old male with the same health scenario, you can expect to reach 78.

As you can guess, with more of us getting older and living longer there also comes the distinct possibility of elder abuse. It is estimated that at least one out of every twenty elderly persons will be abused each year - that was over 2 million people in 1988. But these aren't really good statistics because abuse is not generally reported. Although 1 out of 3 child abuse cases are reported - only 1 out of 8 elder abuse cases are reported. Now that's despite the fact in many states it is the LAW to report any suspected cases of abuse! Texas is one of those states, but it goes even further - if you see the abuse and don't report it and it is discovered, then you can be prosecuted as if you DID the abuse.

When most individuals think of abuse they think of Physical Abuse - but it is only 1 out of 5 types of elder abuse. The 5 types of abuse are:

• Sexual Abuse
• Emotional or Psychological Abuse
• Neglect of yourself/neglect by your caregiver
• Financial Exploitation
• Physical Abuse

These types of abuse can occur in a loved ones home, a personal care home, an assisted living facility, a nursing facility - in other words -- ANYWHERE. The occurrence of each type of abuse may also surprise you as we rank and order them:

When we speak of neglect, it is estimated that 38% is self-neglect or self-abuse. This entails things like taking medicines improperly, taking too much or taking too little and not eating properly. Physical abuse is considered the non-accidental use of physical force that results in bodily injury, pain or impairment. Sexual abuse is the non-consensual contact of any kind with an older person. Emotional or psychological abuse is the willful infliction of mental intimidation, or other verbal or non-verbal abusive conduct. Financial or material exploitation is the unauthorized use of funds, property or any resources of an older person.

Now that we have an idea of the kinds of abuse and the percentages of each, lets look at who does the abusing. The most recent data available is only from 30 states in 1994, but it gives a clear picture of the perpetrators of elder abuse. It shows that more than two-thirds of the abusers are FAMILY MEMBERS! But many individuals think the majority of abuse is by the service provider (nurse aide) - when in fact it accounts for only 13% of the abuse cases reported. The overall breakdown is as follows:

It is interesting to note that child abuse data also shows that nearly 70% of the perpetrators are members of the victims' families. It is reasonable to assume that both elder abuse and child abuse can best be understood within the context of "family violence" or "intra-familial conflict". Elder abuse, like any other type of domestic violence is extremely complex and many different factors contribute to its occurrence.

It is generally assumed that a combination of psychological, social, and economic factors that affect interpersonal and intra-familial relationships is responsible for any single incident of domestic elder abuse. The existing causal theories of domestic elder abuse can be divided into four major categories. These categories, however, are not independent of one another, but are closely related.

• Stress of the Caregiver
• Cycle of violence
• Personal problems of abusers
• Impairment of dependent elders

Lets look at them one at a time --

Stress of the caregiver. Caring for older people is a tough job. Older persons tend to have more physical or mental impairments and the caregiver is ill-equipped to perform care taking tasks because of his/her personal problems or lack of knowledge of the job, or when support from other family members is lacking.

Cycle of violence. This theory holds that violent behavior is a learned behavior and is transmitted from one generation to another. The abuser was once abused and now does the abusing.

Personal problems of abusers. Researchers have found that abusers of the elderly (typically adult children) tend to have more personal problems than do non-abusers. These children frequently suffer from such problems as mental and emotional disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction, and financial difficulty.

Impairment of dependent elders. Researchers have found that elders in poor health are more likely to be abused than those in good health. Among the estimated 6 million dependent elders in this country many are severely disabled older people who suffer from mental or physical disabilities or both. This theory postulates that abuse often occurs in a situation where the stress of the caregiver is heightened as a result of the older person's increased dependency on the caregiver due to worsening of the older person's impairment.

Now that we have an understanding of elder abuse, what can we each do?

• We can report to the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, Adult Protective Service Division 1-800-252-5400 any cases of abuse of which we have knowledge or reasonably suspect.
• We can also be ever mindful that the caregiving jobs like life are stressful. If we are a caregiver, we must learn to deal with that stress through such things as an exercise program, good nutrition, relaxation after work and participation in support groups.
• And lastly, we can share these comments with friends and neighbors so they can be aware of the significant problem of Elder Abuse and help stop it.

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