Common Myths About Elder Abuse
The elderly are sometimes the butt of gruesome abuse, with layers and layers of complexity that cannot be seen by the naked eye. In fact, what you see or don’t see may only be a piece of the “abuse”. Elder abuse may consist of a woman developing bed sores from neglect in a nursing home for which you can enlist the help of a nursing home neglect attorney. Abuse could also arise in the form of a phone scammer taking advantage of a man with dementia. There are many varied forms of elder abuse.
This blog seeks to bust a few myths about elder abuse.
Myth No. 1: Nursing homes are the main culprits of abuse.
Sadly, elder abuse mostly takes place at home, at the hands of family members and other loved ones. Despite being ‘family’ these people take advantage of the elderly and cause most instances of harm. Often it is the grandson, niece, daughter, or pastor in a church who is the perpetrator of this exploitation. Drug use is one of the main reasons this kind of problem stems from the home. A confrontation and a physical attack ensue where the elder is emotionally and physically defeated.
Myth No. 2: If an older person is being abused physically, it will be obvious.
The absence of overt signs of abuse on the elder person does not necessarily mean that he or she wasn’t abused. For instance, someone could have twisted his arm and it would still leave no marks. Ironically often bruises on an elder person may be put down to a fall occurring due to old age, when in fact it is an outcome of physical abuse. Sometimes abuse could take the form denying food to the elderly resulting in loss of weight, but this is simply observed as a physical ailment. This kind of abuse often happens in nursing homes and one should immediately consult with a nursing home neglect attorney with any hint of foul play.
Myth No. 3: When elders say they are not abused, you must believe them.
When they are hurt and abused, the elderly often withdraw and do not reveal the torture they have been through. Their reasons could differ. They could be afraid their loved one could get into trouble or they fear they will be pushed into a nursing home which they believe would be a worse situation. Or they may be blaming themselves for the abuse.
These are just a few of the hard truths of abuse, there are layers and layers of them. If your loved one is in a home and you suspect abuse, you must contact a nursing home abuse attorney immediately.