COULD YOUR LOVED ONE BE THE VICTIM OF ELDER ABUSE?

By Akila Gibbs

Alice P. is an 79-year-old woman with mild dementia whose caregiver son threatened to beat her up if she did not stop occasionally repeating herself, and then carried out that promise. The abuse was reported by a neighbor who saw the battered woman’s bruises and reported the abuse to an adult protective services agency.

Wayne Z., 86, is a kind-hearted, lonely widower who was approached by a woman at a laundromat who persuaded him to let her move into his home so she could take care of him, and later accompanied him to his bank several times in a three-week period during which he withdrew enormous amounts of cash for her under extreme duress. This case was reported to law enforcement by an official at the bank who noticed the man’s visible distress.

In both cases, which are factual, the perpetrators were arrested. The two victims were very fortunate to be among a small minority whose mistreatment has been reported by people who saw the signs of undeniably severe mistreatment.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is Wednesday, June 15. I invite everybody to join me that day at 10 a.m. live via Zoom and onsite at the Pasadena Senior Center for Coffee with Akila, a free monthly discussion related to older adults that I host. My special guest will be Miles McNeeley, director of elder abuse prevention for Wise and Healthy Aging, a nonprofit social services organization that advances the dignity and quality of life of older adults through leadership, advocacy and innovative services.

To register for this month’s Coffee with Akila, please visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org and click on Activities & Events, then Special Events or call 626-795-4331. Everyone who registers for the Zoom event will receive an email link to join the discussion online.

Elder abuse can happen to any older adult, regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity or religion. Each year, hundreds of thousands of adults 60 and older in the U.S. are victims of elder abuse, which can include neglect, abandonment, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse and self-neglect.

It can be perpetrated by family members, friends, health care providers, caregivers, phone/online/in-person scammers and more, and can lead to serious physical injuries, long-term psychological consequences and financial ruin. Elder abuse can happen anywhere, including an older adult’s personal home, a family member's house, an assisted living complex, a nursing home and more.

Sixteen years ago the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization of the United Nations launched the first World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to unite communities around the world over this issue. It is estimated that only one in 14 cases of elder abuse is brought to the attention of law enforcement or social services agencies. Heaven only knows how many cases go unreported in the San Gabriel Valley, California, the U.S. and worldwide, and the toll that lack of reporting takes on the lives and quality of life of older adults everywhere.

Given this unfortunate and frightening reality, it is of utmost importance for people in every neighborhood and who visit assisted living facilities and nursing homes to reach out and pay special attention to what may be happening to older adults in their vicinity, talk to them to find out what is happening and report things that don’t seem right to the nearest police or sheriff’s department or county department of adult protective services as soon as abuse is suspected. Some agencies allow for anonymous reporting.

How does one spot potential elder abuse? Signs include

• seeming unusually depressed or withdrawn
• isolated from family and friends
• having unexplained bruises, burns or scars
• looking dirty, underfed, dehydrated, overmedicated or undermedicated
• having bed sores or other preventable conditions
• exhibiting changes in banking or spending patterns.

The effects of elder abuse on communities range from public health to economic issues. The good news is that we can prevent and address the issue of elder abuse. I join colleagues throughout the country who are advocating for a number of policies and legislative actions that can help reduce and, perhaps someday, put an end to elder abuse.

I look forward to seeing you June 15 at the Pasadena Senior Center or on Zoom so we can all discuss this critical issue together. At the end of the hour-long event, you will get your questions answered and will most likely learn something about elder abuse you did not know before.

On behalf of Alice P., Wayne Z. and countless others, I thank you.

Akila Gibbs is the executive director of the Pasadena Senior Center.