Kitchener Injury Lawyers Report On What Risk Factors Increase The Likelihood That An Older Person Will Suffer Abuse
Too little is known about elder abuse and its prevention, and it happens that when the magnitude and nature of the problem begin to take shape, some risk factors come into question. However, as injury lawyers in Kitchener, we are enormously interested in the well-being of this increasingly large and important population group.
That is why we bring to your attention the risk factors that can increase the likelihood of elder abuse. These are divided into individual, relational, community, and sociocultural.
Individual
These include the victim's poor physical and mental health and mental disorders, alcohol and drug abuse in the case of the aggressor, and the fact of sharing a house. The sex of the victim also influences this factor, as women are at greater risk of suffering more persistent and severe forms of abuse and injury.
Relational
The risk of abuse is higher when the abuser is dependent on the older person (often financially). Also, if there is a history of dysfunctional family relationships, the situation in the home worsens due to stress and the incorporation of women in the labor field when dependence on the elderly person increases.
Community
The social isolation of caregivers and the elderly, the lack of social support, and currently the confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have been determining risk factors for the increase in the mistreatment of the elderly by their caregivers.
Sociocultural
Sociocultural factors in the community environment include the following:
• - Age-based stereotypes.
• - Weakening of family bonds of affection
• - Inheritance and land rights systems
• - Migration of young couples, leaving elderly parents alone
• - Lack of funds to pay for care
In the case of institutional facilities, abuse is more likely to occur if the standards of health care, social services, and care facilities are inadequate, staff are poorly trained and paid, the physical environment is poor and the rules are more in the interests of the institutional facility.
What preventative measures do Kitchener injury lawyers say can be taken to combat and mitigate elder abuse?
Among the measures that can be taken are awareness campaigns, early detection of potential victims and perpetrators, supportive intervention for caregivers, policies on residential care to improve the standard of care, and dementia training aimed at caregivers.
On the other hand, evidence suggests that adult protective services and home visits by police and social workers to older people who have been victims of abuse can have adverse consequences, such as increased maltreatment.
Therefore, efforts to respond to abuse and prevent its recurrence include mandatory reporting of abuse to the authorities and this is where the important role of injury lawyers in Kitchener comes into play; ABPC Law would like to provide you with assistance and advice in this area, please do not hesitate to contact us.