Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2019)
16 Wednesday, August 21, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Commentary... Verbal, emotional attacks are elder abuse By Betsy Leighty-Johnson Colulmnist This is part of a series on elder abuse awareness, intended to raise community awareness and to provide resources for individuals who are themselves vulner- able or are caregivers, fam- ily or friends of vulnerable people. The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) has Adult Protective Service (APS) offices statewide to coordinate and conduct abuse investigations and pro- vide services to reports of neglect and abuse of vulner- able adults, including: adults over the age of 65, adults with physical and/or devel- opmental disabilities, adults with mental illness, and chil- dren receiving residential treatment services. Verbal or emotional abuse is the second leading type of elder abuse in Oregon, rep- resenting 26 percent of all substantiated cases in 2017. Verbal/emotional abuse often coexists with other types of abuse, including financial exploitation and physical abuse cases. DHS9 web page provides definitions and warning signs for the abuse of vulnerable adults. Verbal or emotional abuse includes threatening significant physical harm or threatening or causing sig- nificant emotional harm to an adult through the use of: derogatory or inappropri- ate names, insults, verbal assaults, profanity, or ridi- cule; or harassment, coer- cion, threats, intimidation, humiliation, mental cru- elty, or inappropriate sexual comments. Some of the warning signs of verbal or emotional abuse include: " Humiliating, insult- ing, or threatening language directed at the person. " Being emotionally upset or agitated. " Being extremely with- drawn and non-communica- tive or non-responsive. " Unusual behavior usu- ally attributed to demen- tia (e.g., sucking, biting, rocking). " An adult9s report of being verbally or emotion- ally mistreated. Verbal and emotional abuse often takes the form of bullying and threats if the vulnerable person does (or does not) do something. An example would be if some- one was to threaten or bully a vulnerable person into sign- ing a document that would not be to the vulnerable per- son9s best interest <or else...= Or, stating if the vulnerable person did (or did not) do something, they would be made miserable for the rest of their life. Or, stating if a vulnerable person does (or does not) do something, they will never see some- thing important (i.e., their pet, grandchildren, or home) again. Verbal and emotional abuse is particularly per- sistent in cases involving other types of abuse, such as physical or financial abuse, when the perpetrator tries to control the victim from reporting the abuse. Often, the victim is made to feel guilty or somehow respon- sible for the behavior and actions of the perpetrator, such that the vulnerable per- son becomes a reluctant or unwilling participant in the abuse investigation. Physical abuse represents 15 percent of all substanti- ated abuse cases of Oregon9s Why do you have house plants? Were they a gift or a plant left behind? Do you talk to or touch your plants? I help owners of house plants get to know each plant they adopt. Plants need nutrients. They need to be disease- and parasite-free. Plus, they need attention! I off er house-plant decorating, repotting and plant-sitting in Sisters, Redmond, and most of Bend. $15/hr. for fi rst consult Plant Care & Decorating Available A Growing Business Donna Lee Bolt, 541-740-4906 Donn vulnerable population in 2017 and is any physical injury to an adult caused by other than accidental means that may result in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment. Some of the warning signs of physical abuse include: " Cuts, lacerations, punc- tures, wounds. " Bruises, welts, discolor- ations, grip marks. " Any unexplained injury that doesn9t fit with the given explanation of the injury. " Any injury incompatible with the person9s history of unexplained injuries. " Any injury which has not been properly cared for (sometimes injuries are hid- den on areas of the body nor- mally covered by clothing). " Dehydration and/or mal- nourishment without illness- related cause. " Unexplained loss of weight. " Burns, possibly caused by cigarettes, caustics, acids or friction from ropes or chains. Victims of physical abuse may excuse away their injuries by stating that they injured them- selves. Regular check-ups by medical professionals, including routine physical and vision exams, can assist in determining whether inju- ries are signs of abuse or reflect a need for changes in medication or other accommodations. If you become aware of signs that a person over 65 (or a person with disabilities of any age) is being abused, report it and let the authori- ties investigate. Protect any evidence you may have and call the toll-free abuse hot- line at 800-503-SAFE or by calling local law enforce- ment in the county where the abuse occurred. If you report elder abuse in good faith, the law will protect you from being sued by the alleged abuser if you are mistaken. D r. B e t s y L e i g h t y - Johnson has a PhD in Human Services with a spe- cialization in Social and Community Services. In September 2014, the author and her husband discovered his (then) 96-year-old mother had been the victim of finan- cial elder abuse. They were very involved in the collec- tion of evidence assisting in the felony prosecution of the victim9s daughter for the crime. Since that time, the author has become an elder abuse advocate, currently assisting the Deschutes County District Attorney9s office with elder abuse cases.