S.A.L.T - Elder Abuse

Highlands County S.A.L.T Council
424 Fernleaf Ave.
Sebring, Florida 33870
Tel: 863-402-7248

Elder Abuse

ELDER ABUSE may occur in your own home, the home of a care giver, a nursing home, or anywhere an elder person may be staying. The abuser can be and many times is a close relative.

ELDER ABUSE is defined as "the non accidental infliction of physical or psychological injury to an elderly person or disabled adult by a relative, caregiver, or adult household member, or the failure of a caregiver to take reasonable measures to prevent the occurrence of physical or psychological injury to an elderly person or disabled adult." (Chapter 825, F.S.) Some examples are:

Withholding medication or oxygen
Not keeping a person clean
Spending a person's checks
Taking a person's property
Isolating someone from their children, family or friends
Not keeping a home safe
Restraining someone
Physically hurting someone

Abuse is not always physical. It often starts with the controlling of a person in various ways, and may escalate to physical abuse.

OTHER WARNING SIGNS TO LOOK FOR:

Emotional Abuse can vary from displaying unreasonable jealousy, constantly saying someone is crazy or has memory loss, often humiliating a person, to showing dislike for a person and even the poor treatment of a person's pet or pets.

Isolation very often forbids phone contact, visits by friends and allows little contact or no contact with others.

Financial Control usually involves the taking of checks, accompanying someone to the bank all of the time, the signing or forging of their signature, using their credit cards.

If you are a victim or know of a senior citizen that you suspect is being victimized, is being physically abused neglected, or exploited, please call the Florida Elder Abuse Hotline 1-800-962-2873 AND/OR notify your local law enforcement.

Highlands County Sheriff's Office -- 402-7200
Sebring Police Department -- 471-5107
Lake Placid Police Department -- 699-3757
Avon Park Police Department -- 453-6622.

Iinformation for this article was taken from the booklet "Domestic Violence and the Older Person" by the Highlands County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the Victim Advocacy Program.