Abuse of elderly growing

A recent revision to Utah's law on elderly and disabled abuse allows prosecutors to file criminal charges even in the case of emotional abuse, which includes forced isolation of the victim.

Too often, officials say, relatives agree to move an aging family member into their home believing they can adequately take care of the person, only to become overwhelmed.

"Mom or Grandma demands to not go to a nursing home, and the family member is doing a good job, but then they get in over their head," Stromberg said.

Caretaker stress can often lead to abuse, neglect or isolation of the elderly if the family member fails to get outside help.

"We do see some incidences of abuse and neglect in nursing homes, but 70 percent of our cases are in the home, and about two-thirds involve family members," Stromberg said. "So you are at highest risk in your own home with the perpetrator being a relative."

Most of the cases involve women, he added, because they live longer.

As with child abuse, if someone suspects elderly or disabled abuse, they must report it. But, also like child abuse, the crime is often difficult to substantiate.

"One of the hard things for us is just finding out about these cases because they are so hidden," Stromberg said. "The victim may be in a situation where they are unable to self-report because of dementia or they may be fearful because the caregiver is making threats."

It isn't uncommon, Stromberg said, for caretakers to make threats about putting Grandma in the nursing home if the secret of neglect or abuse gets out.

Searcy said she was astonished after working in the field to learn how many elderly or disabled people are victimized by family members who are after their meager Social Security checks.

"It's just a small amount of money, but they want it for their own use, and then they neglect the needs of the older adult," she said.

Unlike child abuse, the government does not provide any federal funding to states to deal with elderly abuse. There are also no national standards for the prevention of elder abuse, Stromberg said.

"As older people start living longer and the population increases, people are going to start to become more aware of issues related to an aging America," Stromberg said.

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E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com