Different types of abuse and exploitation:
Abuse can take many forms, ranging from overt physical and/or sexual assaults to bullying and emotional abuse. The word “abuse” is a broad term that describes any behavior that is:
- Unwanted
- Intentionally harms an individual
- Is demeaning or insulting
- Causes another person to be afraid
Physical abuse: Occurs when another person intentionally injures or inflicts pain on another person. Some examples include: hitting, kicking, punching, or tripping someone.
Emotional abuse: Verbal abuse can be used to intimidate, threaten, or belittle and is intended to cause emotional pain. Verbal and psychological abuse can include: yelling, name-calling, direct threats of physical harm, threats against people or things that are important to the other person. Emotional abuse is usually employed as a way of instilling fear or gaining power and control.
Neglect: Neglect occurs when a staff(s) and/or roommate(s) fails to meet the critical needs of an individual.
Common examples of neglect include:
- Not providing adequate food or drink
- Leaving an individual with disabilities unsupervised or placing the person in a potentially dangerous situation.
- Not providing adequate heat or air conditioning
- Withholding personal care or medical care
- Not providing a safe environment for the individual
- Withholding access to necessary medical equipment
Sexual abuse: Any action that pressures or coerces someone to do something sexually they don’t want to do. It can also refer to behavior that impacts a person’s ability to control their sexual activity or the circumstances in which sexual activity occurs, including oral sex or rape.
Some examples of sexual assault and abuse are:
- Unwanted kissing or touching
- Unwanted rough or violent sexual activity
- Rape or attempted rape
- Sexual contact with someone who is very drunk, drugged, unconscious or otherwise unable to give a clear and informed “yes” or “no”
- Threatening or pressuring someone into unwanted sexual activity
Financial abuse: There are two broad categories of financial abuse.
- Financial exploitation is perpetrated by someone who is known to the individual, such as a family member, staff or other trusted person who uses their position of trust to gain access to the person’s financial resources.
- Financial scams are designed to take advantage of the elderly and adults with disabilities, such as home improvement and lottery schemes.
Warning Signs:
Abusers can be anyone: a family member, a friend, a stranger, a service provider, or a neighbor. It is important to be informed and on the lookout for the warning signs of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Warning signs of abuse include:
- Changes in behavior (For example, refusing to go places or see people they typically like to go or see.)
- Changes in emotional states (For example, the person is more withdrawn, nervous, fearful, sad or anxious.)
- Unexplained cuts, bruises, bleeding.
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Overmedication
- Isolation
Warning signs of neglect include:
- Dehydration or malnurishment
- Poor hygiene (For example, dirty hair, skin, clothing) or string body odor
- Lack of food and other amenities in the home
- Unexplained weight loss
- Pressure sores
- Unpaid bills
- Lack of proper medical care or treatment
- Animal or insect infestation in the home
Warning signs of exploitation include:
- Withdrawls of significant amounts of cash from banks unexplained or in the presence of others
- Forged checks
- Unexplained/unknown credit card or other charges
- Unpaid bills
- Significant dependency for care or assistance on staffs or others who do not have much prior history with the individual. (For example, a person’s new “best friend” or neighbor who was never really involved before.)
- Multiple phone or in-person requests for money, or promises of a big “win” or “prize”
- Solicitations for money, goods, and services that seem “Too good to be true”
Mandatory Reporting:
A mandated reporter is not required to report to a law enforcement agency, unless requested by the injured vulnerable adult, his or her legal representative or family member, an incident of physical assault between vulnerable adults that causes minor bodily injury and does not require more than basic first aid, unless:
- The injury appears on the back, face, head, neck, chest, breasts, groin, inner thigh, buttock, genital, or anal area.
- There is a fracture
- There is a pattern of physical assault between the same vulnerable adults or involving the same vulnerable adults; or
- There is an attempt to choke a vulnerable adult
When to report:
Before making a report, it is important to talk with Dr. Rytter. Sometimes injuries may be explained by an additional cause, such as scratching herself due to her cerebral palsy.
Immediately make a report when you have reasonable cause to believe that abuse, abandonment, neglect, or financial exploitation occurred to a vulnerable adult.
- “Reasonable cause to believe” means it is probable that an incident of abuse, abandonment, neglect, or financial exploitation happened. Probable means that, based on evidence or information readily obtained from various sources, it is likely the incident occurred.
- “Reason to suspect” means it is possible that an incident of sexual or physical assault occurred. Possible means that, based on information readily obtained from various sources, that incident could have happened.
What Information to Give When Making a Report:
Sometimes you may have a lot of information; sometimes you may have hardly any information. The more information you can give, the more you assist the vulnerable adult. When making a report, give as much of the following information that you have:
- Name and date of birth of the victim
- Address, telephone number
- Current case manager, if one exists
- Name of perpetrator
- Allegation – what is the abuse and what happened
- Name of alternate decision-maker
- Other interested individuals
When the Vulnerable Adult Lives in His/Her Own Home
When the vulnerable adult lives in his/her own home or a relative’s home, call the local Adult Protective Services intake number. 1-877-734-6277 and TTY Number 1-833-866-5595
Resources:
http://disabilityjustice.org/justice-denied/abuse-and-exploitation/