Msnbc.com published an article this week that brought much needed attention to the issue of senior bullying. FirstLight’s director of client services, Gina Kaurich, lent her expertise on the matter. As a previous director of nursing at an assisted living facility she has seen how far senior bullying can go. According to Kaurich, there is a type of caste system among residents in many nursing home facilities that can exacerbate the mistreatment of seniors in the home.
There is little research on elderly bullying but senior care experts estimate about 10-20 percent of seniors have experienced some type of aggression in a care institution; much of it verbal abuse from other senior residents. Here is an informational article on how to identify signs of elder abuse from HelpGuide.org, a non-profit resource that offers support and the knowledge needed to make healthy life choices.
The most important thing you can do if you think your elderly loved one is suffering from neglect or abuse, either from a fellow senior resident or caregiver, is to remove them from the situation and entrust in a professional caregiver like the ones offered through FirstLight.