Elder Abuse From The Reporter May 5, 1999

Elder abuse
What are the warning signs an elderly person is being abused or neglected?
By Lee Reinsch
Of The Reporter Staff

Aileen Edwards/The Reporter. Cheri Welch, left, a social worker with the Aging and Disability Resource Center and Fond du Lac County Department of Social Services, discusses a referral for elder self-neglect with social specialist Pat Tulledge. County residents are encouraged to call the Department of Social Services Elder Abuse and Neglect office at 929-3400 if they know of a neighbor or relative who is neglecting himself or herself.

Howard - you know him.

He's that little old man who smells funny and always seems to be wearing the same rumpled suitcoat every time you see him. Thin, gaunt and undernourished in appearance, he doesn't appear to have any family nearby. Or does he?

Could he be abused, or just neglected? What should you do?

Abuse shouldn't happen anywhere. But there's something about abusing an elderly person that seems especially distasteful. Everyone has the right to live with dignity.

Preserving that dignity is the goal of the Fond du Lac County Department of Social Services, says Cheri Welch, social worker with the Aging and Disability Resource Center and Fond du Lac County Department of Social Services.

Social Services is not out to yank people out of their homes and lock them in nursing homes, Welch says.Social Services aims to help seniors live independently in their own homes as long as possible.

Welch says elder abuse can encompass four classes: physical, material, neglect and self-neglect.

• Physical (pushing, hitting, pinching an elderly person).
  
  
• Material or financial abuse (when a caretaker mismanages an elder's finances, coerces him or her to change a will).
  
  
• Neglect (when a designated caretaker does not adequately take care of an elder; can happen when caretakers are exhausted with other responsibilities).
  
  
• Self-neglect (often happens with illness or dementia).
  

In Fond du Lac County, self-neglect is by far the most common elder abuse complaint received by Social Services.

"Self-neglect is the inability to care for oneself because of dementia or related conditions," Welch said. "People these days are living to be a lot older, and, as a result, there's a higher incidence of dementia."

What should you do if you think a neighbor or relative is neglecting himself or herself? You can call the Department of Social Services Elder Abuse and Neglect office.

Anyone - a friend, relative, grocery clerk, bank employee - can make a referral about someone they sense may need some help, she said.

"Depending on nature of referral, I will make an unannounced visit to face to-face assess the level of competency," Welch said.

But that can be a judgment call. Often it's hard to know if a person is competent, she said.

"A lot of the time, if we get referrals, we ask the referral source if the elder is making bad choices, poor decisions," she said.

If the person is not declared incompetent by the court, they do have the right to refuse investigation, she said.

In the State of Wisconsin, the laws recognize the competency of older adults to make their own decisions.

"Elders do have the right to refuse investigation if they are competent," Welch said.

"The purpose of the law is that it is a reporting system for elder abuse and neglect - to identify individuals who have been abused or are at-risk, and then remedy it," Welch said.

She said incidents of physical and material abuse of elders are not that common in Fond du Lac County, although they do happen.

She said the law isn't designed to take away people's privacy.

"We make every effort to keep persons in their home," she said. "Our goal is not to remove people from their homes."

Social Services can help an elder find medical services or refer to agencies that can help fund medical expenses, respite care, home delivered meals, friendly visits.

But in most cases, these aren't freebies.

"The elder's financial situation is assessed, and if it's determined that the elder can pay for these services, then the elder is responsible," Welch said.

If not, a state grant can help pay the bill.

In the fall of 1998, the county Department of Social Services teamed up with FAVR (Friends Aware of Violent Relationships), ASTOP (Assist Survivors Treatment Outreach and Prevention) and the St. Agnes Domestic Violence Program on a grant to fund a variety of elder care services.

The four agencies now meet regularly to discuss cases and share resources, enabling a wider group of people to be helped out.

"For us, the domestic violence referrals are very small compared to other referrals in regard to neglect," Welch said.

Referrals can remain anonymous, but people are urged to leave their name with Social Services so a follow-up can be done.

After normal business hours, people may contact the county Sheriff's Department.

State law mandates that Social Services start the investigation of physical abuse or neglect cases within 24 hours, and within five working days for financial or material abuses.

Welch said that in our area, cases of elder abuse aren't what they might be in a larger city. Most people are looking out for each other.

"In Fond du Lac County, I've noticed that there are lot of people helping out their family members, and that's a good thing," she said.

"Another thing I have seen a lot of is neighbors who help out with others and will check in on a person, enough to prevent the person from being neglected."

Some symptoms of caretaker neglect or self-neglect:

• Not bathing, poor hygiene.
  
  
• Not taking care of oneself or one's property.
  
  
• Not taking care of medical needs.
  
  
• Isolation.
  
  
• Not eating.
  
  

Anyone who has a concern about someone they feel may be neglected or in need of help may call Fond du Lac County Elder Abuse and Neglect Referrals at (920) 929-3400 or the Sheriff's Department after hours on weekends or holidays, (920) 929-3390.  The Fond du Lac Police Department may also be contacted at (920) 322-3700.