Elder Abuse Awareness Month
June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month. Adult Protective Services (APS) is working with community partners and professional groups around the state to raise awareness about adult abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation, all month long.
Elder abuse affects many older people and people with disabilities. We can help by recognizing and reporting any mistreatment or elder abuse that we see. This includes physical signs of abuse, behavioral signs, how caregivers treat them, and signs Financial Exploitation.
Signs of Financial Exploitation:
- Frequent expensive gifts to a caregiver
- Unpaid bills or unusual activity on the Elders account.
- Adding a caregiver to a bank account.
- Frequent checks made out to “cash”.
- Signs documents such as wills or loans but seems incapable of understanding them.
- Caregivers refusing to spend money on those they are caring for.
- Signatures on documents that don’t match a person’s handwriting.
It’s our communities job to keep an eye out for our Elders and people with disabilities, not only during Elder Abuse Awareness month, but all year long. Help your elderly family members by signing up for CyberScout, the credit union’s free identity management service.
You can report abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation to the Texas Abuse Hotline at 800-252-5400 or online at here. In a life-threatening situation, please call 911.