Emotional Elder Abuse

Emotional elder abuse is not the same as physical abuse, elder neglect, or financial elder abuse, although all three can definitely be linked and can be committed at the same time. Emotional elder abuse consists of:

verbal harm
emotional harm
mental abuse
emotional neglect
psychological harm

Emotional elder abuse is usually committed by a family member or caregiver, although it is certainly not limited to them. These people inflict harm by:

name-calling
intimidation
bullying
trickery
false promises
giving the silent treatment
lying
harsh, angry words
yelling
threatening
attacking the elder’s feelings of self-worth and confidence
verbal punishment

Emotional elder abuse can be very hard to detect unless you witness it first hand. Of course, an elder might confide in you that he/she is being abused. In that case, you should ask the elder to document the abuse by keeping a diary or tape-recording the abuse, but only if you’re certain the elder won’t get caught. In the meantime, you should contact adult protective services in your state, and you should file a report with the police. If there is a family member who is outside the circle of abuse, contact that person and explain the situation. There are other ways to determine if an elder is being emotionally abused. Symptoms include:

depression
sulky silences
withdrawn mood
not wanting to see anyone
distrust
not speaking unless the caregiver is present (the caregiver has warned the elder against telling anyone of the abuse)
decreased appetite
suicide attempts
mood swings

If you know an elder who is being emotionally abused, contact adult protective services and the police.

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Emotional Elder Abuse Emotional elder abuse is not the same as physical abuse, elder neglect, or financial elder abuse, although all three can definitely be linked and can be committed at the same time. Emotional elder abuse consists of: verbal harm emotional harm mental abuse emotional neglect psychological harm Emotional elder abuse is usually committed by a family member or caregiver, although it is certainly not limited to them. These people inflict harm by: name-calling intimidation bullying trickery false promises giving the silent treatment lying harsh, angry words yelling threatening attacking the elder’s feelings of self-worth and confidence verbal punishment Emotional elder abuse can be very hard to detect unless you witness it first hand. Of course, an elder might confide in you that he/she is being abused. In that case, you should ask the elder to document the abuse by keeping a diary or tape-recording the abuse, but only if you’re certain the elder won’t get caught. In the meantime, you should contact adult protective services in your state, and you should file a report with the police. If there is a family member who is outside the circle of abuse, contact that person and explain the situation. There are other ways to determine if an elder is being emotionally abused. Symptoms include: depression sulky silences withdrawn mood not wanting to see anyone distrust not speaking unless the caregiver is present (the caregiver has warned the elder against telling anyone of the abuse) decreased appetite suicide attempts mood swings If you know an elder who is being emotionally abused, contact adult protective services and the police.