It consists of acts of commission or omission that jeopardize the safety and well-being of the elderly. It may be battering, rough handling, verbal abuse, denial of rights, neglect of care needs, sexual acts, infantilization, abandonment, or misuse of resources. The victims can be very impaired, or intermittently impaired, or be independent elders whose only problems result from the threats of violence from relatives. Some elderly become more and more difficult to help as they age and can become aggressive or even combative. Competent in-home help when available is very expensive.
Elder abuse occurs in all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Everything in parent care may work well until there is a significant worsening in the patient's condition creating needs that the caregiver cannot meet. One can understand a single act of temper but we are talking about repeated violence. The caregiver has to give up financial and emotional goals, social relationships, entertainment, or even work to meet the demands of a disabled parent. Daughter, mother, grandmother, caregiver all at the one time. Abuse, however, usually occurs in families with a norm of family violence and the caretaker may have been abused as a child.