Study Suggests “Younger Seniors” Are More Likely to be Abused

A new study has found that “younger seniors,” ages 60 to 74, experience the worst forms of elder abuse across all elderly age groups. These results challenge previous beliefs that abuse is more common among older seniors, ages 85 and older.

No one should have to suffer abuse or neglect by their caregivers. If someone you love has been a victim of elder abuse or neglect, the Milwaukee nursing home abuse attorneys of Pitman, Kalkhoff, Sicula & Dentice will fight for justice and the maximum compensation your family deserves.

Researchers at Cornell University and University of Toronto surveyed 4,156 seniors in assisted living facilities throughout New York who were not cognitively impaired. Sixty-two percent of the study group reported experiencing abuse in the last year, while 11 percent said they had experienced more than 10 instances of abuse in the last year.

This study has highlighted the importance of better understanding abuse against the elderly and recognizing its signs. Elder abuse encompasses any situation where an older adult can be injured or taken advantage of. It can include emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as abandonment, financial abuse, neglect and self-neglect.

• Signs of physical abuse include bruises, black eyes, pain or other bodily injuries.
• Signs of sexual abuse may include physical harm similar to physical abuse, as well as bruising, bleeding and injury to the genitals, genital infection, and mussed or unkempt undergarments.
• A victim of elderly emotional abuse may display symptoms such as mood swings and severe emotional changes, behaviors resembling dementia, or they may be withdrawn from family, friends and social activities.
• Neglect takes place when caregivers do not adequately care for an elderly person, whether by failure or refusal. The victim may be malnourished or dehydrated, have medical issues that go untreated, or be left in unsafe or unsanitary living conditions.

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