June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and unfortunately in Kern County, there were thousands of elder abuse cases 2023.
The abuse can come in many forms, from financial to physical abuse.
There are places where abuse and neglect might happen at a higher rate than others, like nursing homes.
However, there are ways to see the signs, and hopefully find help for those that need it.
“So elder abuse obviously takes a lot of different forms. It could be financial abuse, it could be mental abuse, it could be abduction, it can be isolation, it could be neglect, be self- neglect,” said Jeremy Oliver, the director of Kern County Aging and Adult Services.
He also said physical and sexual abuse can also occur.
Last year, there were over 6,900 reports of abuse, and that number is just in Kern County.
”For every instance that goes reported, there are probably about 24, 25 that go under reported,” said Oliver.
Throughout the state, the numbers are far higher.
According to Kern County Aging and Adult Services, there are an estimated 202,549 cases of reported elder and dependent adult abuse.
“California is actually the worst state when it comes to the regulations that protect our elders,” said Tanya Alsheikh, an attorney with Chain Cohn Clark.
“There was a study that came out that despite the fact that we have an estimated known number of reported elder abuse or neglect cases exceeding 200,000 in our state, no changes have been made really to the law to increase the protections,” she continued.
She said the elder abuse cases she handles typically come from nursing homes, and the most recent kind of abuse case she dealt with was sexual abuse in a facility.
“When you get placed in one of these facilities, you’re completely reliant on the caregivers and staff that are there,” she said.
She explained that due to the number of residents in these facilities and lack of staff, there just sometimes aren’t enough people to take good care of everybody.
This can lead to issues like neglect, which could show up in ways like patients falling and hurting themselves, or pressure sores.
She also said bruises, cuts, and lines that could come from restraints could all be signs of abuse.
I also spoke with Tamara Baker with the Alzheimer’s Disease Association of Kern County.
June is also Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and those with Alzheimer’s may also face more of a risk of financial abuse.
“You tend to see people that are kind of further along in their diagnosis that they might, for example, scammers will call and they might get kind of wrapped up in it,” said Baker.
When it comes to signs of Alzheimer’s, Baker said to look out for things like this.
“Misplacing things quite often, so for example, putting sunscreen in the freezer,” she said.
“If you are driving somewhere specific, and you end up somewhere different than where you intended, that can sometimes be a sign as well,” she continued,
She said one of the biggest things with Alzheimer’s is getting an early diagnosis,
She recommends getting a planner and writing down the behavior if it’s happening consistently, so a doctor can get an accurate look at what’s going on.
She also said it’s important to remember it’s not just a disease for senior citizens, but has even happened to people in their 40s and 50s.
Oliver said they can work with adults to help them improve or get out of the situation, but for those who aren’t able to understand what’s happening to them, there is a legal process of looking at conservatorship as a mechanism to step in and intervene if needed.
If you suspect elder abuse and believe someone you know is in imminent harm, call 911.
Source: BakersfieldNow.com