Domestic Violence in Later Life

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Domestic Violence in Later Life

• Created by

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Elder Abuse

• During the late 1970s and 1980s the mistreatment
  of elderly was recognized as abuse.
• Recently the term domestic violence was applied
  to some cases of elder abuse.

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VAWA and Elder Abuse

• Reauthorization of the Violence against Women Act
  of October 2000
• Included specific language addressing the needs
  of older women and women with disabilities, and
  providing funding for expanded services, and
  education.

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Florida Statue 741.28

• Any assault, aggravated assault, battery,
  aggravated battery, stalking, aggravated
  stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment or any
  criminal offense resulting in physical injury or
  death, of one family or household member by
  another family or household member.

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2007 Florida Statutes

• Florida has three statutes pertaining to older
  abused women
• Florida Statute 415
• Adult Protective Services Act
• Florida Statute 825
• Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of Elderly
  Persons and Disabled Adults.

(www.leg.state.fl.us)
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Definitions

• Legal Definition of vulnerable adult includes a
  person 18 years of age or older whose ability to
  perform the normal activities of daily living or
  to provide for his or her own care or protection
  is impaired due to
• Mental disability
• Emotional disability
• Long term physical or developmental disability
• Brain Damage
• Infirmities of age

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Definitions

• Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive and
  assaultive tactics to maintain power and control
  in an interpersonal relationship. The behaviors
  are more than in isolated incident.

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Definitions

• Elder abuse is any form of mistreatment that
  results in harm or loss to an older person.
• 90 of elder abuse occurs in a home setting
• Most frequent assailant adult male relatives
  with mental health or substance abuse problems

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Abuse in Later Life

• Research indicates the most common reasons for
  abuse later in life are power and control
  dynamics similar to those experienced by younger
  women

Pillemer, Finklehor 1998 Podneiks, 1992
Harris, 1996 Wolf , 1998.
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Breakdown of Elder Abuse Perpetrators
National Association of APS Administrators NCEA
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Domestic Violence Later in Life

• Persons of any age may experience domestic
  violence
• One type of abuse an elder or vulnerable adult
  might experience is domestic violence.

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3 Types of Interpersonal Violence Later in Life

• A 2nd marriage or new relationship may become
  abusive.
• Physical abuse may begin after years of
  controlling behavior.
• Life-long battering relationship where violence
  continues for decades.

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The Adult Child and Other Family Members

• Caregivers or other family members may take
  advantage of the seniors failing memory or
  deteriorating physical condition.

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Domestic Violence Later in Life

• Abusers often believe that they have the right to
  do whatever they want to get their own way.
• Men may believe that it is acceptable to treat
  their wives or partners badly because men are
  meant to control the house.
• Adult children may feel they have the right to
  take things from their parents.

(NCALL WCADV, (2004), 11)
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Elder Domestic Violence is NOT

• Institutional Caregiver Abuse
• However family violence can and does occur in an
  institutional setting
• Physical or mental conditions that manifest in
  abusive and sexually inappropriate behaviors
  where power and control dynamics are not present.
• Keep in Mind Some batters may blame their
  behavior on an illness or disability.

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What it is NOT Caregiver Stress

• Caregiver stress describes well-meaning
  individuals committing isolated acts of abuse
  when they lose control under significant
  pressure.
• Although caregiver stress can be a factor to
  elder domestic violence, it is not a cause.

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What it is NOT Caregiver Stress

• Assumes victim is dependent on abuser, often it
  is the other way around
• Focuses on supporting the batterer instead of
  victim safety
• Blames the victim
• Does not identify abuse as crime
• Traditional DV approaches are not considered

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Forms of Abuse

• Financial Exploitation
• Physical Abuse and Neglect
• Emotional Abuse and Neglect
• Sexual Violence
• Isolation and Abandonment

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Physical Abuse and Neglect

• Active Neglect
• Understands but fails to follow medical, therapy,
  diet, or safety recommendations
• Denies or creates long waits for food, heat, care
  or medication
• Refuses to dress or dress inappropriately

• Passive Neglect
• Well-intended caregiver is unable or lacks the
  knowledge to provide adequate care.
• Power and control tactics are absent.

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Physical Abuse and Neglect Homicide-Suicide

• Without intervention, abuse can lead to
  accidental death or murder.
• A homicide-suicide is when person first kills
  another then kills him or herself.

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Forms of Isolation
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Sexual Violence

• The topic of sexual abuse within the family is
  rarely addressed.
• Sexuality is associated with younger people.
• It is estimated that less than 1/3 of sexual
  abuse against elderly is reported (Burgess,
  Clements, 2006).

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Sexual Violence

• It is important to remember that it is not the
  physical attributes of the victim but rather her
  vulnerability that attracts sexual offenders.
• For example speech and language problems that
  may be the result of a stroke would make it
  virtually impossible to disclose the abuse to
  anyone.

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Sexual Violence

• Elder sexual abuse often begins with
  inappropriate remarks, touching and threats
• It can then escalate to include
• Forcing the victim to view pornography or listen
  to explicit sexual accounts.
• Forced sex acts and rape.

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Sexual Violence Perpetrators

• Marital Rape
• Rape by sons, grandsons or other family members
• Some may fall victim to multiple family members.

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Red Flags for Elder Domestic Violence

• Doctor shopping
• Bruises, scratches, black eye(s)
• Rope marks or marks from restraints
• Pressure sores

• Thoughts of Suicide
• Fear of Caregiver
• Acting differently or exhibiting usual behaviors
• Unsafe or unsanitary living conditions

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Abuse Later in Life Wheel
www.wcadv.org
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Barriers to Disclosure

• An older woman, who was raised to feel that her
  most important role was to be a wife and mother,
  may feel like a failure if she ends the
  relationship.
• Parents may resist the interventions that result
  in their adult children being arrested, homeless,
  or placed in an mental health facility.

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Barriers to Disclosure

• Older victims may not identify as victim of
  abuse.
• In some communities, there is a stigma attached
  to asking for help and the survivor may be
  unaware of available resources.

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Barriers to Disclosure

• Having a medical condition or disability makes
  independent living difficult or impossible.
• Older adult may fear
• batterer
• loss of independence
• loss of caregiver or standard of care

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Caregiver Dilemmas

• The victim may provide care for the batterer.
• The victim may be cared for by the batterer.
• When faced with a caregiver dilemma, the
  survivors ability to escape a violent home is
  complicated.

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Oppression

• Older Americans may face systematic oppression on
  multiple levels
• Each individual may face some or all of the
  following institutionalized oppressions.
• Ageism, Sexism, Racism, Ableism, Classism,
  Homophobia

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Oppressions and the Older Adult
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Special ConsiderationsLGBT Elders

• Issues that LGBT elders face may be different
  than those faced by non-LGBT individuals and
  non-elders.
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elder
  victims of sexual assault and domestic violence
  are a nested population that are frequently
  overlooked and/ or ignored.

www.forge-forward.org
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Special ConsiderationsLGBT Elders

• Police and others have difficulty recognizing
  elders who may be in domestically violent
  relationships due to misperceptions of the older
  adult and battering.
• The combination of these two facts leaves many
  LGBT seniors ignored and overlooked by
  intervention services.

www.forge-forward.org
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www.ncadv.org
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Special ConsiderationsCultural Values and Elder
Abuse

• People of color have experienced racism and
  oppression in different ways and varying degrees.
• For communities of color, elder abuse may be seen
  as a family problem and outside intervention may
  not be needed or tolerated.

(NCALL WCADV)
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Racism and Oppression

• Members of communities of color may be reluctant
  to report abuse due to further stigmatism of
  their community.
• Various cultural communities and elder abuse
  victims from these communities may have had poor
  experiences with law enforcement and social
  services.

(NCALL WCADV)
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Cultural Values and Elder Abuse

• Discussing elder abuse may be seen as rude in
  some cultures due to its personal nature.
  Service providers may find it useful to offer
  information in other contexts, such as health
  care.
• What APS and law enforcement may view as
  financial exploitation, extended families who
  reside together may view sharing resources as
  common practice.

(NCALL WCADV)
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Cultural Values

• Where some cultural norms may inhibit
  intervention, others can support it.
• African values of respect for elders and sharing
  may be especially important for African American
  survivors.
• For many Latinos, family is the source of
  strength and often elders hold a place of
  respect and authority.
• The positive influences of religion and
  spirituality can offer prevention and
  intervention tools.

(NCALL WCADV)
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Economic Barriers ofOlder Adults
(www.census.gov)
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Economic Barriers

• Senior women my lack job experience.
• Employers may be unwilling to employ women over
  50.
• The cost of health insurance and professional
  caregivers limits her available options.

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Economic Barriers

• Women ages 50-62 who do not have dependent
  children are not eligible for TANF (Temporary
  Assistance for Needy Families) or Social Security
  Retirement.
• Immigrants and undocumented workers may not be
  able to receive Social Security or other
  government benefits.

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Intervention and Advocacy

• The intent of abuse or neglect determines best
  intervention.
• Protective and empowerment strategies differ in
  our responses to elder abuse.

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Resources

• Insert local resources from your community.