Studies reveal that one in ten community-living seniors experience some form of abuse. However, studies also indicate that victims only report one in 24 cases of abuse. Unfortunately, many seniors are in precarious and vulnerable positions, and some people exploit their situation with insidious intent. Elder abuse in California manifests in several different ways. Here are the five most common types:
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is one of California’s most common forms of elder abuse. Physical abuse occurs when someone uses force on a senior, such as hitting or physically restraining them, to impair them or inflict pain or injury.
Physical abuse can also manifest as the inappropriate use of drugs or confinement against a senior’s will. Signs of this abuse include:
- Cuts
- Scrapes
- Broken bones
- Bruises
- Burns
- Dislocated joints
- Head injuries
- Sprains
- A pattern of hospitalization
- Delayed medical care for an injury
- Poor explanations for injuries from care providers
- Trips to different emergency rooms
- Broken property
Emotional & Psychological Abuse
Another type of senior abuse is emotional and psychological abuse, which occurs when one intentionally inflicts mental pain, fear, anguish, or distress on a senior through verbal and nonverbal acts.
This abuse ranges from belittling older adults to threatening them. Signs of emotional and psychological elder abuse include:
- Mood swings
- A depressed, withdrawn, or scared disposition
- Avoiding eye contact
- Low self-esteem
- Personality or behavioral changes
- Changed eating or sleeping patterns
- Isolation
Sexual Abuse
Sexual elder abuse in California involves forced or non-consensual sexual contact with a senior who is unable or unwilling to consent or understand. This abuse can include physical contact or even forcibly showing Seniors pornographic material.
Cognitive disabilities like dementia and Alzheimer’s render elders particularly vulnerable to this and prevent them from giving consent. Signs of senior sexual abuse include:
- Stained or torn clothing
- Bleeding from the anus or genitals
- Bruised genitals or inner thighs
- New STDs or STIs
- Pain in the anus or genitals
- Pelvic injuries
- Problems walking or sitting
Neglect or Abandonment
Neglect and abandonment are forms of senior abuse, and these occur when a caregiver fails to protect the older adult from harm, resulting in severe injury or illness.
However, neglect is not an honest mistake; neglect is the product of a consciously careless attitude and a disregard for a senior’s health and often involves refusing or failing to provide a senior with necessities. Signs of elder neglect include:
- Dehydration
- Malnutrition
- Inadequate/unclean clothing
- Lack of food/medical aids
- Denial of medicine, poor hygiene
- Unclean or hazardous living conditions
- Unpaid bills
- Untreated infections/injuries
- Weight loss
- Leaving a victim in a location without assistance
Financial & Material Exploitation
Financial elder abuse in California is one of the most common forms of abuse. Seniors who do not understand their financial situation are typically victimized in these situations.
Financial and material exploitation involves unlawful, unauthorized, or improper use or concealment of a senior’s funds, property, or assets. Financial senior abuse can even mean withholding a senior’s resources or identity theft.
Generally speaking, caregivers and external scam artists perpetrate financial exploitation. Signs of elder financial exploitation include:
- A pattern of missing funds or property
- Canceled checks
- Bank statements that go to someone other than a senior
- Changes to a senior’s power of attorney or bank accounts
- Eviction notices
- Unpaid bills
- Someone showing unusual interest in a senior’s spending
- Unusual withdrawals or transfers
Contact Gokal Law Group if Your Loved One Has Endured Elder Abuse in California
Unfortunately, seniors are in a vulnerable position, and some nefarious individuals exploit their circumstances at the expense of elderly people’s physical, mental, and financial health. Still, understanding all the different forms of elder abuse in California can be difficult, but understanding it is essential to preventing and reacting to it. Fortunately, at Gokal Law Group, we boast unparalleled expertise and commitment to clients.
We can help you evaluate your situation to determine if your loved one has endured senior abuse, and we will prove abuse to protect them and obtain justice like they were our family. Contact us now for a better understanding of the different types of elder abuse.