Elder abuse: How to spot warning signs, get help, and report mistreatment Caregiver neglect, which can be intentional or unintentional, and involves intentionally failing to meet the physical, social, or emotional needs of the older person Neglect can include failure to provide food, water, clothing, medications, and assistance with activities of daily living or help with personal hygiene
EldEr AbusE NEglEct - American Psychological Association (APA) Every year an estimated 4 million older Americans are victims of physical, psychological, or other forms of abuse and neglect Those statistics may not tell the whole story For every case of elder abuse and neglect reported to authorities, experts estimate as many as 23 cases go undetected The quality of life of older individuals who experi-ence abuse is severely jeopardized, as they often
Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Older Adults CAPTA is a federal policy that incentivized states to create mandated reporting rules for abuse and neglect, and to adopt definitions of child abuse and child neglect that meet or surpass federal definitions
What’s my duty to report suspected abuse of children or vulnerable adults? From an ethical perspective: The answer is usually straightforward Standard 4 05 (a) of APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (the “Ethics Code”) allows psychologists to report if they have valid consent from the patient When there’s no consent, Standard 4 05 (b) permits a psychologist to disclose confidential information if they are required under state law
Understanding and preventing child abuse and neglect The Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act defines child abuse and neglect or child maltreatment as: Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm Neglect is a failure to meet the child’s basic needs
Microsoft Word - Child Abuse Web Article print version _2_. doc Neglect is a failure to meet the child’s basic needs e g , not providing enough food, shelter or basic supervision, necessary medical or mental health treatment, adequate education or emotional comfort Physical abuse refers to the injury of a child on purpose, e g , striking, kicking, beating, biting or any action that leads to physical injury Sexual abuse is the use, persuasion, or
When trauma becomes complex The most common example is complex child maltreatment, where a child is exposed to various forms of abuse, such as physical, emotional, and sexual, or neglect Other examples include captivity, being in a cult, or experiencing prolonged emotional and physical abuse or coercive control in a relationship