Psychological Abuse of the Elderly

Excerpt by

Margie Eckroth-Bucher

 PhD,RN,PMHCNS-BC

Signs and Symptoms of Psychological Abuse

Discovering some types of elder abuse may be as simple as looking at an obviously nonaccidentally injured elder or reviewing his or her financial statements. But this is not the case with psychological abuse. Abuse may not be apparent, even to those who experience it. It is important to consider an individual’s cultural norms and traditions. Factors such as language barriers, cultural views that fail to uphold women’s basic rights, and beliefs that what happens at home is private tend to make identifying abuse difficult. It is important to not ignore abuse based on cultural differences but to be culturally sensitive about what the individual’s beliefs are.

The following list of indicators offers a useful guide in cases of suspected abuse. Although the presence of any one indicator doesn’t constitute proof, it should prompt further, more comprehensive exploration of an elder’s current living situation and care providers. This is especially true in light of the incidence of psychological abuse co-occurring with other types of abuse. The typical behaviors demonstrated by a victim of psychological abuse may include the following:

• passivity, withdrawal, or increasing depression;

• evasiveness or reluctance to talk openly;

• avoidance of eye contact or verbal contact with a caregiver;

• cowering in the presence of the abuser;

• hopelessness, helplessness, anxiety, or feelings of powerlessness (Anxiety and powerlessness are the most commonly expressed warning signs in grandfathers in the custodial role.);

• fear;

• confusion that is unrelated to any medical condition;

• change in sleeping or eating habits;

• contradictory statements;

• missing appointments; and

• isolation from friends or other family.

Fall 2008

Devious Damage: Elder Psychological Abuse
By Margie Eckroth-Bucher, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC
Aging Well
Vol. 1 No. 4 P. 24