Be aware: Elder abuse often happens at home

Murphy – “It’s Important that we treasure our older adults. Ageism is real and we are not known for treasuring our adults; we are all guilty of it.”

This is the view of Sarajane Melton, director of the Area Agency on Aging for the Southwestern Commission, on the treatment of the older population. And that population, which is already large statewide, continues to grow. According to a study by the N.C. Commission on Aging presented to the General Assembly, 75 of the 100 counties in North Carolina are projected to have more residents ages 60 and older than ages 17 years and under by 2030.

Matthew Crawford, marketing coordinator and advocate for Reach of Cherokee County Inc., said the battle starts close to home.

“In around 90 percent of elder abuse and neglect incidents, the perpetrator is a family member,” he said.

Because most elderly people tend to live with family or close friends, this makes them particularly vulnerable to abuse. The Commission on Aging study reported that 47 percent of all Adult Protective Services cases of elder mistreatment come from caregivers.

Reach – partnering with the Southwestern Commission, Cherokee County Department of Social Services, Adult Protective Services and local senior centers, sponsored the 11th annual Walk in their Shoes elder abuse awareness event Thursday evening at the pavilion on Connahetta Street in Murphy. Melton said there were nine walks across the region, including one in Andrews. 

June 15 was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, initiated by the  International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse in 2006. Their goal, to eradicate elder abuse, may be a difficult one to achieve in North Carolina. The state’s older population increased 20.5 percent from 1990 to 2000, giving the state the 12th-fastest-growing older population. This rate of growth exceeds the national average growth rate of 12 percent. 

However, the increase in numbers isn’t the only problem. According to the Commission on Aging study, North Carolina ranks 11th highest in the proportion of the poor among older adults, with 12.7 percent living below the federal poverty level. Additionally, the study found that among the top 20 most populous states, North Carolina has the highest percentage of seniors living in rural areas.

This means many aging adults in Cherokee County cannot afford private care and must rely on relatives for support. And it is in these more intimate settings that abuse becomes problematic.

Another issue is that elder abuse is under-reported.

“Our state is an aging state and projections are for that gap to greatly increase between now and 2030,” said Daunita Maennle, supervisor for APS in Cherokee County. “As far as reporting, it is greatly under reported due to different factors, partly, for caretaker neglect, abuse and exploitation. It usually is a friend or family member that is the perpetrator.”

Lt. Milton “Sport” Teasdale of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said most reported cases involve some sort of financial exploitation.

“Last year, between the Department of Social Services, APS and people coming in, only 31 cases of elder abuse were reported,” he said.

Maennle numbers differ from Teasdale’s because not all reported cases become criminal matters.

“APS screened 91 applicants, with a 54 percent confirmed rate of maltreatment,” she said. 

Crawford attributes the lack of reporting to a number of issues.

“Many seniors are not in a place to stand up for themselves, whether it’s because they’re physically frail or because they’re scared of speaking up and fear repercussions,” he said. “It’s crucial for all of us to be on the lookout for signs of elder abuse, and to speak up if something seems wrong.”

Grimly, Crawford added, “Abused elders have a 300 percent risk of death when compared to those who were not abused.”

The most frequently named perpetrator of mistreatment is an adult child, followed by a spouse, long-term care facility staff or other relatives.

Amanda Hamby, coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center and a court advocate, helped organize Thursday’s event.

“One of the challenges in combating elder abuse is that the legal system has too many holes,” she said.

Hamby spoke of an elderly woman who had been choked and suffered from broken ribs.

“She did everything she was supposed to do,” Hamby said. “She secured a Domestic Violence Protective Order.”

Hamby said she cooperated with authorities. However, when her abuser was sentenced, “He got probation. No jail time.”

Hamby said the judge was restricted by legislation.

“The district attorney wanted jail time,” she said, “but there was only so much the judge could do.”

Melton hopes Elder Abuse Awareness Walk in Their Shoes event helps to educate local residents on how to recognize and then stop the abuse.

“I’m a firm believer in awareness,” she said. “It does happen at your back door.

“We need to back up and realize the knowledge, the love and the path they [elders]created well before we were ever thought of,” she said. “We need to respect them as their journey begins to slow down.”