Elder abuse is a significant and often concealed problem affecting millions of seniors globally, manifesting in various forms: physical, psychological, neglect, and financial abuse.
To combat elder abuse, legal professionals can play a crucial role. If abuse is suspected, consulting a lawyer can help determine the appropriate legal actions, such as checking the validity of an Enduring Power of Attorney or applying for a committee order to manage the elder’s finances. Seeking orders from guardianship boards or injunctive relief against abusers can also be essential.
Ultimately, raising awareness, recognizing signs of abuse, and ensuring a supportive environment are vital steps in protecting the dignity and well-being of our elderly loved ones. It is essential for society to take action and advocate for the rights and safety of seniors.
SHOW NOTES:
00:37 Physical abuse
00:45 Psychological abuse
01:06 Neglect and Abandonment
01:39 Financial abuse
02:11 How can lawyers help elderly people being abused?
03:04 Final considerations
TRANSCRIPT
Shedding Light on Elder Abuse: Protecting Our Loved Ones
Elder abuse is a distressing and often hidden issue that affects millions of seniors worldwide. It encompasses various forms of mistreatment, including physical, emotional, financial, and even neglect. As a society, it is our responsibility to raise awareness about this issue and take concrete steps to protect our older loved ones.
There are four types of elder abuse:
- Physical abuse
- Psychological abuse
- Neglect and Abandonment
- Financial abuse
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is bodily harm inflicted on the elderly deliberately.
Psychological abuse
Psychological abuse is behaviour or attitudes targeted to undermine psychological health of the elderly. Such acts include continuous insult, isolation and gaslighting to the elderly, and confining the elderly person’s freedom of access and movement.
Neglect and Abandonment
Neglect ranges from not looking after an elderly person’s basic needs such as food, accommodation, medical treatment etc, or failing to properly supervise the carer who looks after the elderly. Another form of abandonment is to mislead the elderly that he or she is abandoned by some of the family members, when it was indeed the carer who alienated the elderly from the access of other family members in order to exert control over the elderly.
Financial abuse
Financial abuse is to take away the financial independence of elderly or taking advantage of elderly’s mental impairment for abuser’s personal gain. It includes asking elderly to sign away their wealth, stealing money or taking control of the elderly’s finances with signing right of bank accounts. It also includes taking elderly to make testamentary instrument when the elderly are no longer capable of forming his or her own mind.
How can lawyers help elderly people being abused?
If you suspect that your elderly family members are subject to any kind of abuse, you should talk to a lawyer to see how the Court or guardianship board can assist.
If the elderly have made Enduring Power of Attorney, you should check whether such EPOA has been registered, and whether the attorney is in fact the person perpetrating the abuse on the elderly principal.
If the elderly did not have an Enduring Power of Attorney, you should consider whether to apply to Court for a committee order to take over the control of the elderly’s finances.
If it is the overall welfare of the elderly that you need to look after, you should consider whether to seek an order from the guardianship board.
You should also consider whether to seek injunctive relief against the abuser to put a stop to the elderly’s abuse.
Final considerations
Elder abuse is a deeply concerning issue that requires our attention and action. We also aim to spread better awareness about the legal aspects of this social issue. By recognizing the signs, addressing the causes, creating a supportive environment, and accessing community resources, we can protect our older loved ones and ensure their well-being. We ought to strive towards a society that values and respects the dignity of our senior citizens.
This video is for informational purposes only. Its contents do not constitute legal or professional advice.
