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Most
cases of elderly abuse go unreported.
By Alan
Gustafson, Statesman Journal
November 9, 2003
For complex reasons ranging from fear of retaliation to
memory-stealing Alzheimer’s disease, most elder abuse cases go
unreported.
It stays hidden behind the walls of private homes and care
facilities, leaving victims unprotected, defenseless and alone, experts
say.
Elder
abuse is a catchall term for varied types of mistreatment, including
financial exploitation, physical abuse, sexual assault, neglect and
abandonment.
Nationally,
government officials and advocates for seniors estimate that 500,000 to 5
million older Americans are victimized each year.
Oregon
caseworkers conduct about 10,000
elder abuse investigations each year. However, national research indicates
that more than 80 percent of elder abuse incidents never get reported to
police or protective services investigators.
By
extension, some 40,000 incidents per year may go unreported in
Oregon
.
Victims
grapple with conflicted emotions, especially in cases where abuse is
inflicted by a family member or friend. Reporting cases of abuse can
produce painful consequences: shattered relationships, embarrassing
disclosures, intensified feelings of alienation and loneliness.
Fear
of retaliation keeps some victims from speaking out, experts say.
Alzheimer’s disease and other disabilities can create confusion in
victims’ minds or make it impossible for them to recount specific
details.
Often,
victims are voiceless.
“Ninety
percent of the victims of elder abuse cannot tell a story. They are so
debilitated that they are not very verbal, so it’s real hard to
interview victims of the type of abuse we see,” said Aileen Kaye,
Oregon
’s
protective services coordinator.
Pride,
shame and self-doubt pose additional barriers that keep victims from
reporting elder abuse.
“Frequently,
the older person is thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I wonder if I’m losing the
ability to discern a good guy from a bad guy,’” said Joyce DeMonin,
coordinator of the Elder Safe Program in
Washington
County
.
“That fear of dementia and being incapacitated is terrifying.”
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