Elder Abuse Can Be Prevented
In both institutional settings and adult family member’s homes, people directly responsible for the care of the elderly can sometimes take advantage of them. As much as we’d hope to avoid it, sometimes the demands of caregiving and the needs of the senior can create an environment where abuse does occur. For example, caregivers in institutional settings can be abusive if the nursing home staff lacks proper training or facilitates poor working conditions. Nonprofessional caregivers such as relatives, friends, and spouses can become abusive under the stress of taking care of a senior loved one. In cases such as these, the demands of caring for an aging senior can be too much to handle and lead to mental and physical health problems, which could lead to a burnt out, impatient caregiver who is more prone to neglect or other forms of abuse. Read on to learn the warning signs of elder abuse so you can prevent it from happening to your aging loved one.
Physical Signs That Elder Abuse May Be Occurring
As the elderly grow older and become more physically frail, they often become more and more incapable of protecting themselves from physical harm and standing up to bullying behavior. Unfortunately, a lack of physical and cognitive abilities makes seniors easy prey for depraved individuals. Warning signs of physical abuse of the elderly may include unexplainable bruises, wounds, or broken bones. Repeated unexplained wounds should be taken seriously, no matter the severity of the wound.
Emotional Abuse of Senior Loved Ones
If you suspect your elderly loved one is being hurt but can’t see any physical evidence, then they might be an unfortunate victim of emotional, not physical abuse. Caregivers can cause distress to the elderly by yelling or threatening, humiliation and ridicule, isolating them from friends or activities, and habitually blaming or scapegoating. Emotional abuse can be harder to detect, but there are definite warning signs. Increasingly different behavior from the senior that mimics dementia, like rocking the body or mumbling to themselves is typically a good indicator that emotional abuse could be present.
Neglect of Seniors in Caregiving Situations
Abuse doesn’t always come in the form of yelling or hitting of a senior loved one. On the other end of the spectrum, negligence is another form of elder abuse that you should know the warning signs for. If the senior is being ignored for long periods of time, you’ll certainly see the warning signs. These may include the following: weight loss caused by malnutrition and dehydration, bedsores or other untreated physical ailments, lack of proper hygiene from not being bathed regularly, soiled garments or bedding, bug infestations, and hazardous or unsanitary living conditions.
Signs of Financial Abuse of the Elderly
The elderly are also preyed upon financially in many instances. Financial trickery can come in the form of identity theft, stealing money or household items, scamming, or other types of fraud. Be aware of any significant withdrawals from the elder’s account, any sudden changes in wills or power of attorney, failing to pay bills, unnecessary purchases of services or goods, missing cash, insufficient funds, and any addition of names to the senior’s credit card or accounts.
Other Warning Signs of Elder Abuse
Unfortunately, the warning signs of elder abuse are often mistaken for dementia or the mental deterioration that may come along with aging. Be aware of increased tension or arguments between the senior and caregiver. Further, your elderly loved one might start behaving differently, becoming more withdrawn and less social. It’s important to listen to the senior and to intervene as soon as possible. Keep an eye on medication levels and the dates on prescription bottles or medication administration checklists. Check bank accounts and credit card statements for unauthorized purchases regularly. Learn these signs and then spread awareness to others who may also be responsible for checking on the senior.
What to Do When a Senior Loved One Is Being Abused
It’s important to know the warning signs of elder abuse so you can rest more easily, knowing your elderly loved one is in good hands. If you suspect elder abuse, here are a few things that you can do. First, be sure to always document the warning signs: take photos of injuries, take notes of changes in behavior, and get written statements from additional victims or other witnesses, if and when possible. If the senior is being abused in a facility, then contact your long-term care ombudsman. They are professionals who will investigate the claims and take the proper actions in response. For severe cases (or if you know the senior will be harmed again), call 911.
Resources to help Mom and Dad from Golden Placements:
Golden Placements helps you manage resources and takes care of the leg work. We offer resources for finding your best living situation so you can enjoy your best Golden Years. GPS has ideas gathered over years of experience by being Senior Life Specialists. Portland Senior Living and their various options from our Golden Girls specialists are IS NO COST.- You can call us today or continue to read more about Long Term Care Planning with our friends at ACL
- Oregon Defines and Describes ADLs for us legally here: Long Term Care
- Golden Placements RESOURCES to find CARE Services
- Quality locations for you Senior Loved One with the Golden Girls
- Senior Living Near Me – Adult Home Placement
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Diane Delaney, Placement Specialist Extraordinaire

Delaney is the founder of Golden Placement Services. She began this business with a healthy dose of compassion for helping families make educated decisions regarding senior placement. Focused to relieve stress in uncertain senior housing crucial moments. Diane brings about loving change of lifestyle with grace. Additionally, Diane is an accomplished executive manager, Director of Operations in senior housing. Emphatically, she enjoys sharing her experience. Diane enjoys writing about the full spectrum of the transition process for seniors and family members. Read more from Senior Placement Specialist Diane: Ultimate Senior Living Resource Guide >>
Stephanie Brubaker, Senior Placement Specialist

steph.goldenplacements@gmail.com | 971-263-8533 Stephanie got her start working as an administrator for Golden Placement Services. It served her well as she worked in sales and marketing while living in Austin, TX. Now that she is back in Oregon she’s excited to take the plunge and work alongside the Golden Girls as a placement specialist. She feels lucky to receive her training from experienced mentors, her mother Diane, and co-worker LaVona. Stephanie looks forward to being a part of the family whose main objective is to help your family through senior housing options with empathy, integrity, and compassion.
Gwenn McNeal2023-03-09 Golden Placement Services answered! It’s really difficult to have to place an aging parent into a facility, but our family knew it was time. So I did some research, called 15 facilities, and managed to get on one wait list. I also called two companies that assist with finding homes, and they said they could not help. We were concerned we wouldn’t find a place, and if we did, it could be a very poor choice for our dad. Then I was given Golden Placement Services phone number and I spoke with a lovely woman named LaVona. That’s when everything changed! LaVona listened to our family’s needs, was understanding, and within days, she had arranged places for us to visit. How she found them, I don’t know, but she did! She met us there, listened some more, answered questions, and offered sage advice. We will forever be grateful for Golden Placement Services help in making this very tough decision. We absolutely know that my dad is in the right place to spend the rest of his life. And, we wouldn’t have that assurance today, had we not been connected with their wonderful service! They have blessed us greatly and we are sharing their information with others we know who are going through the same process. Maureen S.2022-10-18 Our family is so grateful for Diane and her company. They have helped us, two times find placements for our family members. We are now working now to find a great situation for another elderly family member.. Best thing, THEY CARE about each client and their wellbeing... THANK YOU, Diane Addison Inman2019-05-31 What a great resource for seniors in this area. Great, honest work. Very knowledgeable. Denise R2013-03-23 They were very helpful and while being professional, kind and caring. They were thorough in trying to find the best arrangement for our situation and followed-up to make sure client's new arrangements were satisfactory. I highly recommend them.