Resources
If you or someone you know is a victim of elder abuse, call the One SAFE Place 24-hour Hotline at (530) 244-0117 or the Adult Protective Services Hotline at (530) 225-5798.
Types of Elder Abuse (65 years of age or older or dependent adults)
Physical- Hitting, kicking, pushing, slapping, burning, or force causing injury
Sexual- Engaging in sexual acts without consent
Emotional- Harming self-worth or emotional well-being, name-calling, and scaring.
Neglect- Failing to meet basic needs like food, housing, clothing, and medical care
Abandonment- Leaving elder alone or no longer providing care as needed
Financial- Illegally misusing an elder’s money, property, or assets
Red Flag Behaviors for Physical Elder Abuse:
- Injuries such as: bruises, welts, broken bones, burns
- Withholding of medication or over medicating
- Untreated injuries/repeated injuries
- Venereal diseases (STIs)
- Intense fear or reaction to certain people
- Mistrust of others
- Extreme reaction to being cared for or bathed
- Regressive or aggressive behaviors
- Malnourished or seeming like they haven’t eaten
- Not cared for, not bathed, or wearing dirty clothes
Signs of Possible Financial Abuse of Elders:
- Frequent expensive gifts from victim to abuser
- Victim’s personal belongings, papers, credit cards missing
- Numerous unpaid bills
- A recent will, when victim seems incapable of writing will
- Abuser’s name added to bank account
- Victim unaware of monthly income, or financial circumstances
- Victim signs a loan
- Frequent checks made out to “cash”
- Unusual activity in bank account
- Irregularities on tax return
- Victim unaware of reason for appointment with banker or attorney
- Abuser’s refusal to spend money on victim
- Signatures on checks or legal documents that do not resemble victim’s signature