What is Elder Abuse?

Elder abuse is exactly what the term implies. It is the abuse of a senior citizen by a person that has been charged with the care of that individual. The senior citizen trusts the person that has abused them and because of this bond of trust it is in many ways a serious and very emotional crime to deal with.

What constitutes elder abuse?

There are a number of different things that can constitute elder abuse:

Physical: Physical elder abuse includes things like assaulting or slapping the elder. Whether justified or not is beside the point and any action along these lines constitutes physical elder abuse.

Emotional: Emotional elder abuse includes shouting at a senior or yelling at him or her repeatedly. Making threats against them, lecturing them, or blaming them for actions that he or she did not commit also counts as emotional elder abuse, and it is just as bad and wrong as physical elder abuse.

There are a number of other things that might constitute elder abuse as well and all of these things essentially boil down to the same point. A person that a senior trusts or a person that is in charge of taking care of a senior is doing something that is abusive to the senior in some way.

What can I do about elder abuse?

If you are worried about the problem of elder abuse then there are a number of different things that you can do about it in order to help. First, it is important that you confront the problem rather than try to deal with it in an indirect way. It is a very serious problem that happens to too many people, so you need to confront it to prevent it from happening again.

Your first goal, once you have confirmed that there is elder abuse occurring, is to confront the person that is doing the abuse. This person might be a relative of some kind (children are the most common source of elder abuse) or might be a staff member that works in a place like a nursing home. Your first step is to confront the person who is abusing a senior citizen and get him or her to stop. Regardless, you also need to contact a lawyer and take legal action against the abuser (especially if he or she is on the staff of a nursing home).

What should I look for in a lawyer?

There are a number of different things people look for in a lawyer, but there are two especially important things that everyone should be looking for.

The first is experience. A lawyer with a large amount of experience in the field of elder abuse will be able to get things done in a more efficient manner that will ultimately be better for you and for the person that has undergone abuse as well. Additionally, you want to make sure that the lawyer has a history of results. You want a record that shows consistent positive results because that will increase your likelihood of a successful outcome.