Understanding Domestic Violence ______________________________________________________________
• Emotional neglect: Failure to meet the individual’s emotional well-being such as providing adequate opportunities to socialize with friends and family and engage in meaningful activities. • Abandonment: This occurs when a caregiver relinquishes his or her caregiving duties and neglects to arrange for sufficient care and support for the individual during his or her absence. • Isolation: Involves restricting visits from family and friends or preventing contact via telephone or mail correspondence. • Financial neglect: Involves disregarding a person’s financial obligations such as failing to pay rent or mortgage, medical insurance or invoices, utility and garbage bills, property taxes and assessments. • Self-neglect: involves older adults or adults with disabilities who cannot meet their own essential physical, psychological, or social needs, which threatens their health, safety and well-being. This includes failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, and health care for one’s own needs. Signs of self-neglect include the following: • Isn’t going to the doctor • Isn’t taking medication as needed • Doesn’t have food; inadequate nutrition • Lives in unsafe housing conditions such as lack of heat, electricity, or running water • Has poor personal hygiene • Lacks or won’t allow needed care
Following are some commonly reported forms of financial exploitation reported to Adult Protective Services agencies (National Adult Protective Services Association, 2024): • Unusual financial activity (e.g., large bank withdrawal or use of ATMs or credit cards not normally used) • Missing checks or missing bank statements/records • Address or names have been changed on accounts • Purchases made without the individual’s knowledge or consent • Newly authorized signatures on accounts or forged signatures • Evidence that the person fell victim to a scam • Missing belongings • Change to a financial power of attorney • Change of ownership of bank accounts or the deed to a physical property such as a home Categories of financial exploitation include the following: • Theft: involves assets taken without knowledge, consent, or authorization • Fraud: Involves acts of dishonesty by persons entrusted to manage assets but appropriate assets for unintended uses; may include falsification of records, forgeries, unauthorized check-writing, and Ponzi-type financial schemes • Real estate: Involves unauthorized sales, transfers, or changes to property title(s); may include unauthorized or invalid changes to estate documents • Contractor: Includes building contractors or a handyman who receive payment(s) for building repairs but fail to initiate or complete project; may include invalid liens by contractors • Lottery scams: Involves payments (or transfer of funds) to collect unclaimed property or “prizes” from lotteries or sweepstakes ELDER ABUSE MANDATORY REPORTING In most states in the United States, certain individuals are required by law to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploita- tion of vulnerable adults to Adult Protective Services (APS). This is referred to as “mandatory reporting.” Some states only require certain professionals to report their concerns. Other states require all citizens to report their concerns (National Adult Protective Services Association, 2021). Mandated reporters, together with APS, play an important role in helping seniors and adults with disabilities live lives free of abuse and neglect. For that reason, mandated report- ers are required to report incidents to APS, and there may be legal repercussions for failing to report suspected incidents of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and exploitation (NAPSA, 2021) .
What are some risk factors of self-neglect? • Recent widow or loss of loved one
• Worsening medical problems or a physical disability • Lack of outside contact, isolated from friends and family • Lack of a caregiver FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION Financial or material exploitation of a senior or disabled adult typically includes the following (National Adult Protective Services Association, 2024): • The misuse, mishandling, or exploitation of property, possessions, or assets of adults. • The use of another’s assets without their consent, under false pretense, undue influence, or through coercion and/or manipulation. Assets are commonly taken via forms of deception, false pre- tenses, coercion, harassment, duress, and threats.
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