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Family: Elderly Abuse Indicator Financial exploitation, emotional abuse, and passive neglect of the elderly are trends that may be on the rise.
ABOUT THE INDICATOR Elder abuse is a family issue because almost all abusers are family members. This indicator presents the number of actual reported incidents of elder abuse within DuPage County by type and year. Although not all reports are substantiated (70 percent are), the fact that a report is even filed is also an indicator of family stress. Types of abuse reported include physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, confinement, passive neglect, deprivation, and financial exploitation. Some incidents included more than one type of abuse. OBSERVATIONS Elder abuse in DuPage County appears to be on the rise. The types of abuse most often reported—and increasing most markedly between 1998 and 2002—are incidents of emotional abuse, passive neglect, and financial exploitation. It’s possible that the rise in elder abuse can be attributed to a greater awareness of the problem among victims and more sophisticated reporting, but even if that is the case, elder abuse is happening often enough that it cannot be ignored. In 2002, 15 of the reported cases of elder abuse involved more than one form of abuse. TAPESTRY The elderly population is the fastest growing sector in DuPage County. Therefore, elder abuse is an issue that demands special attention. Often, the abusers of the elderly are the very people who are responsible for their care, whether in an institutional setting or the home of a family member. The stress of caring for a frail older parent can take its toll on individual caregivers and their families and lead to abuse. Financial problems related to a weak economy, the loss of income that may result if an individual is forced to leave his or her job in order to care for an elderly parent, and the costs of caring for that parent can compound the potential for abuse, particularly financial exploitation. When an elderly victim is dependent on his or her abuser for food, shelter, and daily care, the incidents are likely to go unreported because the victims are afraid to, or unable to, report them. Consequently, the abuse is likely to continue. According to the Illinois State’s Attorney Task Force on Elder Abuse, the problem could be mitigated if more resources were available to help relieve the intolerable stress placed on families burdened with the responsibilities of caring for an elderly loved one. How to Get Involved or Learn More:
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