- Target:
- Utah State Legislature then United States Legislature
- Region:
- United States of America
Abuse in any form is horrid but my focus is Emotional Elder Abuse. It’s becoming a huge problem in this country, and it needs to be stopped. It is a problem that is far reaching. It affects not only the person who is abused but entire families for years after the abused is gone.
It is much harder to detect and prove emotional abuse. Physical abuse has visual signs, emotional usually does not. Because of this fact it is almost impossible to get any help to rectify the situation.
The abuser is usually a family member or friend
Often the person who is being abused is part of the problem
The signs of emotional elder abuse are very similar to spousal abuse - alienation, helplessness, feeling of worthlessness, dependent on the abuser.
My perents both died within the last 15 months. For the last 5 years I have watched my brother emotionally abuse my parents. He was grooming them, especially my mother, for his purposes. My mother was an extreamly intelligent woman. She taught High School for over 30 years. She was a leader in the community. But in her older age she clinged to her only son who is an alcoholic, gambler and drug abuser. In her older years she was a great deal of the problem because she would not stand up for herself if it would hurt "her only son". She always refused to see the reality about him. She believed all his lies and deception.
He alienated her. He would rant and rave about many things, leaving her afraid and feeling she had to agree with him. He would lie to and deceive her and she believed every word. He would threaten to hurt himself. She worried that he might hurt himself or even her. She would not listen to her eight other children, daughters, but would defend him to the end. It was terrible to watch and frustrating beyond belief as my sisters and I tried to help her. We tried to get the State of Utah to help her, they would constantly dismiss our concerns. When they did do an in home visit, my Mother would defiantly say she was fine as my brother stood by listening to every word.
Please help me help the elderly. They deserve our help and respect. They deserve to treated with the greatest of kindness and care in the twilight of their lives. Please let’s change the laws to protect against Emotional Elderly Abuse.
Go to our website to get more information:
http://shalas5.wix.com/stopemotionalelderabuse
Or email us with your concerns and stories:
stopemotionalelderabuse@yahoo.com
Please sign this petition and help us make laws that protect the elderly from Emotional Elder Abuse.
We, the undersigned, call on the Utah State Legislature to make the following laws that will protect our vulnerable Elderly Population from being Emotionally Abused by Family or Friends.
Any State Agency who is notified of a complaint of Emotional Elder Abuse must take into account the testimonies of the family members or friends who have reported the abuse if the number of those opposing the accused offender is three people or greater.
The State Agent who investigates Emotional Elder Abuse has had the proper training in how to recognize patterns and signs of emotional abuse.
The emotional wellbeing and background of the person being accused of perpetuating the emotional abuse must in all cases be evaluated through interview and testing, by someone trained to determine their mental state and tendancy towards abuse.
That the person accused of perpetuating the abuse be removed from association with the abused (if it is at all feasible) until the above said evaluation is completed and abuse/or not determined.
That the person accused of perpetuating the abuse have no access to the finances of the abused at any point after the accusations have been made. That someone else in the family or a friend or a state agency take over the financial obligations if the elderly person is deemed unable to preform those duties.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Stop Emotional Elder Abuse petition to Utah State Legislature then United States Legislature was written by Shala Sorensen and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.