Mt. Vernon Register-News

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February 18, 2010

Elder abuse seminar highlights awareness

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Educating professionals on what they can do to stop elder abuse was the focus of a meeting held Thursday at the Crossroads Aquatics Center.

Andrea Hills, director of rehabilitation services at the Crossroads Community Hospital Rehabilitation Center, said she believed staff members would benefit from the in-service program.

“It’s something we need to be aware of to protect the patient first and foremost,” Hills said. “We want to make sure we do what’s right and what’s right for the patient who may not know what to do.”

“In Illinois, elder abuse occurs every 7 minutes and of those reports only one in 12 are reported,” noted Tracy Barczewski of the Illinois Department of Aging. “We try to get out to groups to give them more information about it.”

According to information from Barczewski, the main reason cases are rarely reported is that most elder abusers are family members.

“And an older person does not want it turned in,” she said. “The average age of a person being abused is 82 to 83 years-old. As a person’s health detoriates, you guys are the ones seeing more things and reporting it. Abuse doesn’t start at 82 — it’s just that no one is around them to report it.”

In 2009, there were about 150 cases of elder abuse reported, information states, and in the five-county region served by the Midland Area on Aging, almost 320 cases total were reported. Types of elder abuse include physical, emotional, sexual, confinement, passive neglect, willful deprivation and financial exploitation. Barczewski said emotional abuse and financial exploitation were the highest forms of elder abuse.

“Usually if there’s one, there’s another,” she said. “It’s not just physical abuse or sexual abuse — it’s mostly a combination.”

About 70 percent of elder abuse victims are female, Barczewski said, and 30 percent male. However, caseworkers must also respect the Right of Self Determination of the victim — meaning a client may refuse an assessment or all services and interventions.

“The bottom line is they’re in charge of their case,” Barczewski said. “Sometimes if there are multiple reports, they will finally do something.”

For more information about the Illinois Department on Aging’s Elder Abuse and Neglect Program, you may call 800-283-4070.

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