Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention with Carol Silver-Elliott, President and CEO at Jewish Home Family

On this episode of the LTC Heroes podcast, Carol Silver-Elliott,
President and CEO at Jewish Home Family, sits down with us to
discuss the ever-important issue of elder abuse and how we can
increase awareness of this problem.


Carol starts the episode by defining elder abuse as an
intentional act by a trusted caregiver that does harm to an
elderly person. This can include physical abuse, verbal abuse,
emotional abuse, and also acts of neglect. She points out the sad
reality that between 3.5 and 5 million seniors suffer from elder
abuse every year.


She says many people witness or experience elder abuse, but don’t
have a label, context, or understanding of the issue at hand. A
great portion of elder abuse victims suffer in silence and only
20% of those that are able to reach out to an elder abuse hotline
actually end up going to a shelter for assistance.


Carol highlights the characteristics of elder abuse victims,
noting that most are over the age of 85 and have cognitive
impairments or other ailments that make them vulnerable. In most
cases, the abuser is an adult child of the victim, which makes it
difficult for the victim to accept that abuse is actually taking
place. These abusers slowly isolate and take control away from
their victims, making it very hard for our elders to seek any
sort of outside help.


The prevalence of ageism in our country also enhances this
problem because it influences how we perceive the credibility of
our elders. In some cases where elders do speak up, they’re often
ignored or written off as “delusional.” That’s why Carol says the
elder abuse conversation needs to be elevated to a higher level
to increase awareness about this issue.


Carol discusses the importance of widespread education about
elder abuse for first responders, police officers, and any other
community members that want to prevent this problem. She says
that we shouldn’t be afraid to speak up if we suspect elder
abuse. It’s better to be wrong than it is to stay silent about
such a serious offense to our elders.


Carol shares the important role that elder abuse shelters play in
helping victims create separation from their abusers and gain a
new perspective on their situation. A shelter acts as a waypoint
on the journey from abuse to safety while also being a source of
any necessary care.


Carol closes the show by explaining how existing LTC facilities
can also act as shelters for these victims. With less than 20
elder abuse shelters across the country, she encourages other LTC
facilities that have the resources to offer this support. She
points out that many facilities can partake in this life-changing
work without overwhelming their facilities. At the end of the
day, the incremental cost of providing care for these abuse
victims is far less important than reducing elder abuse in our
country.


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