Statewide, elder abuse has risen steadily since 2007. Recent national studies of the elderly population have shown that about 7 to 10 percent reported experiencing some kind of abuse in the previous year, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.
There are many forms of elder abuse, and it can be inflicted unintentionally as well as willfully. Abuse of elderly people can be physical or emotional. It can include financial exploitation, confinement of an elderly person or passive neglect of an older person’s needs by an inexperienced caregiver.
Victims of elder abuse are often women with an average age of 79, according to the Illinois
Department on Aging website. That means the victim is probably a mother, and her abuser is likely an adult child, grandchild or other family member.
No matter how the abuse occurs, though, it must be stopped.
Experts said there are telltale signs of elder abuse, including changes in personality, missing regular appointments or changing schedule routines. Victims of physical abuse might have welts and bruises, and those suffering financial exploitation might be receiving calls from bill collectors or simply having a lower standard of living.
Illinois operates a 24-hour hotline for people to report suspected abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of an older person at 866-800-1409.
Under Illinois’ Adult Protective Services Act, people who report suspected abuse in good faith and cooperate with authorities are immune from criminal or civil liability.
There are many forms of elder abuse, and it can be inflicted unintentionally as well as willfully. Abuse of elderly people can be physical or emotional. It can include financial exploitation, confinement of an elderly person or passive neglect of an older person’s needs by an inexperienced caregiver.
Victims of elder abuse are often women with an average age of 79, according to the Illinois
Department on Aging website. That means the victim is probably a mother, and her abuser is likely an adult child, grandchild or other family member.
No matter how the abuse occurs, though, it must be stopped.
Experts said there are telltale signs of elder abuse, including changes in personality, missing regular appointments or changing schedule routines. Victims of physical abuse might have welts and bruises, and those suffering financial exploitation might be receiving calls from bill collectors or simply having a lower standard of living.
Illinois operates a 24-hour hotline for people to report suspected abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of an older person at 866-800-1409.
Under Illinois’ Adult Protective Services Act, people who report suspected abuse in good faith and cooperate with authorities are immune from criminal or civil liability.
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Our View: Public's Help Needed to Stop Elder Abuse
2 comments:
The public needs the State of Illinois' help to stop elder abuse.
Right, here in Virginia, somebody reports an elder in need of services to Virginia Beach Adult Protective Services.
A hand-picked guardian ad litem goes out and issues all sorts of falsehoods, and before you know it she's under the guardianship of Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia.
Then Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia wantonly violates a court order, the elder is handed over to the notorious Scott Schuett (google Scott Schuett for the appalling details), her house is foreclosed on, and at least fifteen (maybe more) bounced checks pop up. Her health insurance and life insurance are cancelled. The pleas of her lifelong friends are ignored, while attorneys and the hand-picked guardian ad litem weave a fabricated rosy tale for the clueless judge.
Mandatory reporting is a good thing. However, in the wrong hands, it can subject the elder to even worse abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.
Maybe we need mandatory services from APS, enforced by strict liability for these egregious defalcations of the public trust?
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