Midnight Sun Home Care is dedicated to providing the safest and most comfortable care to our elder clients. This involves addressing the very real threat of elder abuse. This month’s blog posts will focus on helping elders and their loved ones to recognize, prevent and end elder abuse.
Even if you have an understanding of what elder abuse is, the signs of it and what to do if you suspect it, it is always helpful to have resources that provide further support and insight. Luckily, there are many available that are designed to help address and prevent elder abuse in our communities.
Anyone who interacts with the elderly should access these resources, but it’s also particularly important that those who provide care to the elderly—whether as family or professional caregivers—have the support they need. Caregiving can be overwhelming and often emotionally draining, especially when you are caring for a loved one. And often, elder abuse comes from a caregiver, which means that giving caregivers proper support and tools will help them to recognize when or if they are unable to provide the right care.
Caregiver Stress and Burnout
As a caregiver, you need to be able to:
Essentially, you need to pay attention to your own needs and behavior. Letting your mental and physical health go unchecked can mean increasing health problems for you and decreasing ability to care for your elder. Nobody wins in that situation.
A Few Signs of Burnout
What to Do
The important thing to know, whether you are a caregiver or simply involved in the life of an elder, is that there is help available that will empower you to prevent and end elder abuse.
In fact, in 2012, legislation was passed in the state of Alaska to provide more protection to our vulnerable adults. Alaska’s Adult Protective Services is a good place to start looking for more information and support.
You can also find data, information, articles, policies and other resources at the National Center on Elder Abuse.