Tips On Preventing Elder Abuse

For The Elderly: As we age, we sometimes lose contact with family members or friends. When elderly people become isolated, they become much more vulnerable to abuse. Because of this, it is important to maintain ties with your family members as well as your friends. Maintaining a regular social group or social activities, and keeping in contact with your family is one of the best ways to ensure that if a problem arises, you have someone to contact for help. You should also ensure that you receive advice from a trusted advisor, preferably an experienced elder law attorney.

For Families: When you have an elderly family member, it isn’t always possible to maintain regular or daily contact. This can dramatically increase the chances that the elderly person will suffer some form of elder abuse. One of the best preventative tools is to maintain close ties with your elderly family members, even if it is only regular phone calls or brief visits. It’s important to remember that even if an elderly family member is living in a care facility or has home healthcare assistance, the need to maintain his or her own independence is typically very strong. It is therefore important to both maintain a close relationship and not be overbearing or too intrusive. A person who trusts you to hear his or her concerns is much more likely to confide about any abusive situation than someone who does not believe you respect his or her privacy.