The covid situation has pushed older adults to be more susceptible to loneliness. This strategy of isolation due to fear of infection has potentially reduced the amount of support. For many senior citizens, the problem begins at home due to numerous reasons. Elder abuse is any form be it physical, emotional, financial or psychological, neglect, isolation and abuse are at a peak toll mostly during the pandemic. The biggest challenge while trying to help seniors is that it is mostly hidden. There is no open discussion about the issue. The elderly out of fear or helplessness does not bring up the issues to seek help. Also, a fear of getting more abused if ever spoken about it further pushes the issue. It becomes essential to help the elderly regain a sense of empowerment and control over their lives.
Little act of kindness and compassion can help older adults stave off loneliness during this time.
Make phone calls to the elderly at your family on a regular schedule to check-in and learn about their needs.
Ask them directly the kind of help they would need and in what ways you can help.
Check to see if there is any community service that offers specific shopping hours for seniors.
What This Means For the Elderly
The elderly might find themselves in very poor mental health and the pandemic has increased the propensity to add on to their isolation. The inability to pull themselves out of the anxiety, depression or fear can diminish their morale further. It is important to reach out for help. Consider finding a relevant source to alleviate their condition. Consider calling a crisis line or an online therapy session or a companionship service to find out options in which way you can help.
Although an occasional feeling of fear and loneliness is normal at this time, a gradually declining mental health could indicate the need for outside help.
Elder Abuse and its impact
Elder abuse comes in the form of physical, emotional/psychological, or financial harm on an older adult. It can also manifest in the form of intentional or unintentional neglect of an older adult by the caregiver.
Any forceful behaviour that a caregiver or another person uses intending to cause unnecessary pain or injury, even if to help the older person, can be regarded as abusive. Physically abusive behaviour can include hitting, beating, pushing, kicking, pinching, burning. It also includes inappropriate use of medications and physical punishment of any kind.
Emotional or psychological abuse includes name-calling, silent treatment, yelling, insulting or disrespectful comments, intimidating and threatening the individual. Any behaviour from the family member, caregiver or another person that causes fear, mental anguish or emotional pain or distress in the elderly can be regarded as abusive.
Financial abuse and exploitation include fraud and pretences in terms of monetary issues, forced property transfers, indecently using older person’s money without their knowledge or permission or denying the older person access to his or her funds or home.
Caregiver neglect has a serious impact on the lives of the elderly, especially the bedridden. It can range from carelessness in caregiving strategies to intentionally failing to meet the physical, social or emotional needs of the older person. Caregivers in the family might neglect the needs of the elderly due to ignorance or lack of knowledge, resources or the maturity to handle such situations.
The elderly suffering from conditions like dementia may themselves become abusive to the point of verbally or even physically abusing their caregivers or anyone trying to help them.
This might be considered a symptom associated with the cognitive decline but abuse coming in any guise can be equally harmful to the elderly’s health. It fuels the vicious cycle of falling into the trap of loneliness and worthlessness isolating themselves from people who might actually provide help.
Ways in Which You Can Help
Educating and raising awareness about the issues faced by the elderly is the cornerstone in preventing elder abuse. Media coverage and discussing it in public fora can be of some help to come up with ideas and innovative ways to deal with the issue.
Respite care that is having a trusted person to care for the elder in place of the caregiver, even for a few hours every week becomes essential in reducing caregiver stress. Caregiver stress and frustration is another issue gaslighting elderly abuse. A healthy break for the caregiver is necessary to free from the worry and responsibility of attending to someone else’s needs.
The importance of social contact and support is the most underrated strategy that can be a boon to older persons and their caregivers. Dissociating one’s problems with people of your social circle can greatly manage the influx of a problem to an unmanageable situation. When there is a way to share it with people of your social circle, tensions are less likely to reach unmanageable levels. It is important to have people who are genuinely interested in the well being of the elderly.
Counselling for behavioural or other associated problems in the family or the individual at risk can play a significant role in helping people change lifelong patterns of behaviour or help them find solutions to the problems emerging from current stresses. Counselling can help alleviate the after-effects of the stress caused by abuse.
Old age comes with a lot of challenges to deal with related to family adjustments or their personal commitments and distresses. A lot of the effort depends on the caregiver and the family members, the constant support of which is not feasible all the time. At difficult times, there is a risk of the behaviour of the caregivers turning into abuse. Such repeated behaviour might be harmful to the elderly. If you suspect any difficulty in dealing with such conflicts, do not hesitate to reach out for help.
In cases where you witness intentional abuse of the elderly, do not let your fear of meddling in someone else’s business stop you from reporting. Your small act of courage could be saving someone’s life. There are services designated to receive and investigate allegations of elder abuse and provide the necessary assistance. If you as a caregiver have been feeling abusive or are in danger of abusing an older person in your care, try finding out the source of your thoughts. Is it something that is bothering you or is it because you are tired of the responsibility of an older person being dependent on you? Give yourself a break! There is hope and help available for the elderly. Make the first move to search and take the first step as soon as possible. It is possible to change your patterns.