Why it is Important to Know About Elder Abuse
The term elder abuse is a rather unfamiliar one for most people. It basically refers to any physical, sexual or emotional abuse that elderly people are subjected to. The elderly need a lot of support from the rest of the population and they become a burden. They are usually unable to defend themselves so this makes them more vulnerable to all forms of exploitation. People could break into their homes and steal things or beat them up however; the majority of exploitation is caused by family members. The elderly are vulnerable even to sexual abuse by their relatives which is just disgusting. Elder abuse is only going to get worse if nothing is done about it soon enough. More people are getting older and the working class or business people who are still productive have to support a lot of people. This can sometimes frustrate them and take it out on the elderly. People also forget that one day they too will grow old and need the help of others while they abuse the elderly. It is very important for both the young and old generations to understand what elder abuse is so that they can both work towards a better life. Elders need to understand why they are prone to abuse and the young generation needs to understand what makes them abusive to elders. Below are some reasons why it is important to know about elder abuse.
The first reason is to have a clear understanding of the problem. Elder abuse has become very persistent only because people do not know much about it. The abusers do not usually know how much pain they cause to the elderly. If people knew the pain that abuse causes to the elderly, they would be more considerate to them. Besides, the elderly usually never speak up about the abuse they go through so their relatives cannot help them because they do not understand it. As long as it is never spoken about, elder abuse will continue getting worse and more widespread. It will become normalized and once this happens, it will be much harder to get rid of it. The more people know about it, the more they will work to ensure that the elderly receive the protection and care they need. Even something as simple as neglect could hurt the elderly a lot as they are still human and need love and affection from their children.
Another reason why it is important for us to know about elder abuse is so that we take preventive measures against it. We will all get old one day and if we understand that we can be vulnerable, we will take steps to prevent that from happening. The majority of elder abuse is caused by adult children who have some grudge against their parents. They take advantage of the parent’s physical weakness to get back at them. They usually don’t know what they are doing as it is an unconscious urge. When we are young and strong, we need to take care of our children with love and teach them how to be sensible so they will appreciate and love us till we die.