Tuesday, April 23, 2019

The Challenges In Dealing With Elder Abuse

By Susan Morris


When left unchecked and unaccounted for, some circumstances can bring out the worst in people. Although capable of the highest acts and virtues, given some tweaks in circumstances, anyone can just as easily swoop down to their primeval instincts of power play and aggression. This turn of events can consequently go downhill and make way for elder abuse to happen.

You can probably imagine why this is a thing. Elders have come to be physiologically and sometimes mentally and psychologically weaker than other people. Their overt reliance and dependence have placed them at the mercy of persons who think that they can do whatever they want without the fear of consequences. If one has an ounce of ethics and virtue, then it does not take some deep thinking to know that this is unethical and heavily culpable. However, this does not seem to influence the trends going the whole world over.

Where were talking about this happening, it mostly has to do with an aggressor that the victim knows, like a family member, caretaker, or any person that the victim has reason to be indebted or dependent to. And then, of course, there are also instances where the elder may lie and make up accusations. As you can probably appreciate, the challenges are great and many here.

However, one has many nitty gritty to keep in mind. After all, its not uncommon for the senile to make false accusations. That applies to all kinds of infringements. That is why the accused are generally considered innocent until proven guilty, which is just as well. That does not downplay the plight of victims, but that mainly exhorts the need for a thorough investigation of all pending reports.

Because this is such a common occurrence and trend, there are laws that are put in place against it. Rooting out those responsible can be really difficult, in the same way as dealing with child abuse. After all, we are also talking about a dependent person. Therefore, the arrangement must involve some sort of passing of care and responsibility.

And then theres financial abuse and exploitation. It has to do with how the family member, caregiver, or even friend misappropriates the fiscal resources of the elderly. They may dangle it to him or her to use as a means to control and facilitate maltreatment. Even the deliberate failure to pass on financial support in places with such responsibility laws can be indicted.

Mostly, the responsible party is a composite of people that the elder knows, and most probably has a relationship with. For example, it may be a spouse or a similar partner, it may be any other family member, friend, and even neighbor and caretaker. Generally, just about any person that the senior relies on for one reason or another. That is why this kind of happening is often subsumed in more general headings like family or domestic violence.

Aside from the many acts and actions that may be considered a part of it, one must also keep in mind the things that are not considered such. For example, general criminal activity, like muggings, burglary, and some such are not considered representative of it. It displays power play, of course, but it can also happen to just about anyone. Therefore, whatever the outcome, the charges are different, and they are not often headed with elderly abuse.

Theres no clear cut and comprehensive way to put an end to this societal urge. Thats because cases differ with each individual happening. The best one can do is to be aware and worldly wise regarding this actuality, so that they will recognize maltreatment when they see it. One must keep his eyes peeled for the warning signs, different with each type of abuse, like physical, emotional, financial, et cetera, et cetera. With knowledge comes power, and with that comes responsibility. Everyone should be proactive, not passive actors in this societal bane.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment