Elder Protection

To Actively Protect our Greatest Treasures, the Elders in our Communities  

Find the change that is necessary to protect women, children, and our elderly.

Rebecca Balog. Pennsylvania

Dignity. Respect.  Wisdom. Experience. History. Tradition. They paved the road for us, These are our elders, our Grandmothers and Grandfathers, Aunties and Uncles. 

Mental abuse. Solidarity. Financial strain. Neglect. Exploitation. Vulnerability. Abandonment.  These are our elders, our Grandmothers and Grandfathers, Aunties and Uncles.

Elder abuse is defined differently in diverse communities.  What is acceptable to one culture may be unacceptable to another.  The United States is comprised of diverse cultural communities with various approaches of family responses to aging parents.  Some have higher rates of aging family members living together with care-giving in the home.  Other cultures utilize nursing homes and assisted living programs as a dominant option for elderly care.  These are important conversations between parents and children that often are ignored or assumed.  Starting conversations early is important in regard to examining financial options, legal responsibilities, and plans to manage stress, emotions, and decisions for safety and security.  These conversations are essential for emotional and livelihood success of both the elderly and family.  There are many American Indians receiving social security and/or small per capita tribal disbursements and utilizing this as a primary source of income.   Some households living on this income are estimated as large as 11 people.  Lower socioeconomic populations are struggling for medical treatment, housing, food and heat sources. Financial abuse is one of the largest forms of elderly abuse across the nation.  Often times the aged are responsible for care-giving of young children.  Does he or she have a choice?  This is makes a difference.

There are opinions, however, that financial exploitation in Indian Country is not an easily studied issue.  Research and process advocates have limited access to develop care and intervention models.  Is financial abuse not the equivalent to non-Indian financial abuse?  Not clearly, traditional families historically and characteristically live in an “obligation of care” paradigm absent in many other cultures, whereby living up to important cultural values the elderly are facets in the daily make-up of the multi-generational home.  This cultural value of a family unit includes an aging family member as an important contributor to the family as a whole.  Today, is there a line drawn between abuse/family contributions/ family obligation?  When does it become abuse?  When an elder has lost the choices of their voice, safety, security, comfort, is forced to relinquish money or property without consent, this transgressed any and all implications of traditional family values.  This is abuse and exists in Indian Country and in the non-Indian world alike.

Elder abuse has been studied within American Indian communities with and without external resource influences.  Different nations have created individual definitions of elderly abuse in the unique characteristics of aging within Indian Country.  A research study was conducted regarding the aging community of the Navajo Nation.  A few characteristics that define elderly abuses within the Navajo Nation are: neglect (medical, abandonment, food, etc.), financial exploitation, and verbal abuse.  Verbal abuse is defined as humiliation or threatening behavior.   Plains Nations have been asked to define elderly abuses.  These were defined as physical abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.  The reality is an ever changing modern impact of culture and tradition in an era of rapid tribal/social changes within various generations.  There are barriers to addressing these issues and far less research to develop comprehensive intervention program models.

The moccasin trails have been buzzing with issues on elderly abuse across the nation and the people are both listening and talking.  Is there a lack of support within our communities from tribal leaders and elderly care community centers?  Don’t stop there, others will listen.  Don’t trust outsiders?  Rally your neighbors to make the change by reaching out collectively to large organizations that can whistleblow nationwide about the issues.

You can start with reporting abuse to the Nation Indian Council of Aging at (505) 292-2001 or the American Indian Law Center for Model Elder Protection Code, available at  (505) 277-5462, to advocate for policy changes within sovereign nations.  Hear of abuse within elderly care centers like the verbal abuse allegations of late?  Whisteblow! Whistleblow!  Whistleblow!  Networking has never been easier than it is today.  Find the change that is necessary to protect women, children, and our elderly.  We are accountable for our actions. We have a duty to protect others who may be unable to help themselves.

 

                         Images Courtesy Nora Moore Lloyd - All Rights Reserved 

Sources:

Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect

Dine Elderly Protection Program

National Indian Council on Aging

Elderly Care Specialists narratives/interviews.