I posted a video from YouTube; please check the link. This video is about financial abuse of an elderly woman.
A definition of elder abuse, according to Schiamberg (2000), includes hurtful acts of omission and commission against elderly people. There are different types of abuse such as physical abuse, psychological abuse/emotional or mental abuse, material abuse/ financial exploitation, active neglect, passive neglect, violation of civil rights, and self-neglect. Therefore, anything that a person does that violates civil rights of an elderly person is considered an abuse. We know that there are different kinds of abuse and one of them is financial exploitation or material abuse. My topic will focus on financial abuse among elderly person.
I agree that “Money is the root of all evil”. The truth of this saying was illustrated by an experience of an elderly couple that I know of who was taken advantage of by their daughter and son-in-law. This couple asked for help from me, knowing that I am a Social work student. The story started when this couple together with their daughter and the son in-law and three grandchildren agreed to live together in one house. It is a two storey house; the elder couple occupied the ground floor while the daughter occupied the second floor. The elder couple were paying for the mortgage because they owned the house, while the daughter and her family were paying for the utilities and groceries. The son-in-law demanded that the elder couple change the title of ownership to him but agreed that they would pay the couple twenty thousand dollars and that the couple could stay in the house until they die. Both sides agreed with the condition; however the son-in-law came in the house with a lawyer and made the couple sign papers without reading them. The son-in-law said the lawyer was in a hurry; therefore they needed to sign the papers right away. The daughter and the son-in-law did not even give them the copy of the agreement. After a month the daughter and the son-in-law started to throw the elders belongings in the garbage and were trying to imply that they should leave the house. They paid them 10,000 dollars and they still owe $10, 000 more. The couple were upset so they made a decision to move to an apartment. It is hard to accept the fact that because of the money, family values are at stake. They assume that since the couple are already ageing they can take advantage of the situation. I know this is one story but I wonder what about other elders who are being taken advantage of financially.
Through working at my practicum I was able to see different kinds of situations in relation to financial abuse where in most cases elder women became the victim of it. Sad to say, that almost all of the perpetrators are family members. On the other side, the good advantage of Home Care is when conducting home visits, Social workers must be alert in determining if there are issues about financial abuse. Medications should be checked if the caregiver buys them for the client. Another thing to be checked is the food that clients are eating. There are instances where caregivers live in the client’s house but solely rely on the client’s pension. Sometimes elder persons cannot report this kind of act since they are vulnerable and lack information about the steps to take. Some other hindrances are because of shame for the family and due to physical health problem s which prevents them from reporting. On the couple’s case since they asked information from me on how to resolve their situation. I have given them information about the Legal assistance that Age and Opportunity is offering. I am still waiting for this couple’s response if they are really willing to take legal action on the matter.
Reference:
Schiamberg, L (2000). Elder abuse by adult children: An applied ecological framework for understanding contextual risk factors and the integrational character of quality of life. International Justice aging and Human Development. 50 (4), 329-359. Retrieved February 18, 2010 from Ebscohost
The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (2006). ONPEA Financial Abuse PSA. Retrieved from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeKOy71jmJY
Hi Mary Anne,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the video on youtube, I have seen it before, but every time I see it I have shivers down my spine. This type of abuse is so hard to catch because as you said, it is usually done by somebody close to the victim, and the victim usually depends on the person who is abusing them. Financial abuse is not something that a person can visibly see, unlike physical abuse where bruises show up. Symptoms of financial abuse show up as the needs of the older person being abused go unmet. Their cloths are old and worn, the food in the house is not nutritious, their personal hygene may have detiorated, etc. Often times the victims of financial abuse are afraid to report it to authorities. They don't want to ruin the relationship they have with their abuse (because the abuser is known to them). Or perhaps they are afraid of what will happen to them if their abuser is put in jail....when it is ther person abusing them who is their primary care giver as in the video. There are many different complicated issues associated with this problem that need to be addressed along with the financial abuse in order to make the person feel like they are in a safe position to be able to disclose abuse. Thanks for the blog!
-Michelle K
Thanks for the comments.
ReplyDeleteSorry I forgot to put the title: It is FINANCIAL ABUSE
The reason I posted the video is that I believe that the media is powerful tool in public awareness because it targets the entire population. The issue that is being addressed in this advertisement is an elder abuse which is a growing concern not only here in Canada but a globally. It is a fact that one of the ethical responsibilities to society of a social worker is to advocate for change in the environment and the global community (Guidelines for Ethical Practice, 2005). Elder abuse is a form of oppression and is a human rights violation that should be addressed. “Social justice and human rights principle” (Ife & Tesorieir, 2006, p. 262) is an efficient approach in community development where in this case it should address the issue of the ageing population. Through community development the process of raising awareness and taking action for the fulfillment of equality must be the main goal. I know that this is not an easy task to stop abuse but with collaboration from the community and making structural change and policy I guess it will make this will be possible. Now this commercial is the first step in achieving change and from there on take some actions and intervention. If this issue is not going to be prioritized then community development workers or social workers must do something about it through the values and principles that are taught to them and ask collaboration from the community. The fact that almost 25 % of the population will be elders in 25 years who are at risk of an abuse; it implies more services and should be more funding but how? This would affect the economic sustainability of Canada since there is a low fertility rate. Can the government still balance this? Isn’t it sad to say that the main reason why Canada is attracting immigrants to come is to have an economic sustainability? Now elder abuse must be stopped.
Guidelines for Ethical Practice (2005). Canadian Association of Social Workers. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://www.casw-acts.ca/practice/guidelines_e.pdf
Ife, J. & Tesoriero, F. (2006). Community development. Australia: Pearson Education