Posted by Jaiden Logan on June 2nd, 2024

In the previous blog post, I mentioned the imbalance of power and how it sometimes switches when a child or younger family member begins taking care of their parent or an older family member. Relationships where this imbalance of power exists are also relationships where emotional abuse is more likely to occur. You may be wondering, what exactly is emotional elder abuse? Emotional abuse is negative behavior or actions, such as belittling or threatening, that result in a negative impact on an elder’s mental or emotional health. Emotional abuse is the most common form of elder abuse and is just as destructive as many other forms of elder abuse. It can lead to depression, anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Some signs of emotional abuse are isolation from the outside world, agitation, nervousness, low self-esteem, sudden weight loss or gain, confusion, and loss of interest in the activities they usually enjoy. It is important to know these signs because many elders will not speak up about their emotional abuse due to embarrassment, fear of causing more conflict, fear of retaliation, or simply not realizing that the abuse is even occurring.

Emotional abuse is simply not right or fair to the elder experiencing it. Sure, a caregiver may experience their own problems, but that is not an excuse to inflict pain, emotional or physical, on someone else. Elders in need of care already struggle to take care of themselves which already results in negative emotions. So emotional abuse is an additional risk that can put your loved one in a more dangerous situation.

Pay attention to the signs so that neither you nor a loved one is affected by emotional abuse. To learn more about elder abuse, follow our Facebook account where we have shared additional tips, sites, and information regarding the topic.