Many baby boomers, born between 1945 and 1954, are now retiring. Although the financial advisor community, banks, and government have discussed building sufficient retirement savings to cover them during retirement, many do not have sufficient funds to take them through retirement. On top of that, there seems to be an increasing level of baby boomer elder abuse that is taking place. As more and more baby boomers move into their late retirement years, this problem is becoming more and more common. The chart summarizes the various kinds of elder abuse that take place. Often the most visible or those of physical abuse. But there are five other types of abuse, including
- Financial,
- Verbal,
- Emotional,
- Neglect, and even
- Abandonment.
How can people be so cruel and treat their elderly family members this way? How can care workers treat people this way? It can be a terrible thing to experience this kind of abuse. Having lots of money does not always protect you, either.
Elder Abuse in our Community
Unfortunately, in our society, everything is driven by sex and money. If it is not sexual abuse, it is some form of abuse that is triggered by the greed of grabbing the elder’s money. Sometimes, they don’t have enough money to pay for seniors’ services. We cannot emphasize enough that baby boomers planning to retire need to ensure they have sufficient funds to pay for top-quality care during their later years.
In addition, family members need to take steps to protect their elder parents or relatives. Always have two members of the family looking after a senior and two members of the family looking after the financial affairs. If you suspect any kind of elder abuse, whether emotional, financial, or other, take immediate steps to rectify the situation.
There are obvious criminal cases that can be dealt with when someone is exposed to physical abuse and the perpetrator is caught and prosecuted. However, many more subtle situations have never been dealt with, which troubles many seniors today. Elder abuse is rampant, and in many cases, it is our family members that are the guilty ones.
Examples of baby boomers’ elder abuse
What about the son or daughter who slowly drains their parents’ bank accounts, leaving them destitute and abandoned? What about caregivers who are rough in their treatment? They never leave bruises, but you know that something is going on. Then there are situations where they get the parents to pay for everything. The kids could even be well off.
Abandonment is one of the worst. Not everyone wants to look after someone who is old and frail. They may not have the patience and the personality. The seniors end up living by themselves and living as best they can until they can no longer look after themselves. They depend on the goodwill of neighbors who take pity. Where is the family in this situation?
Knowing that this is happening will at least help seniors take steps to prepare for this situation. Plan now for your frail years to ensure that they are as good as they can be. We are going to write a series of posts on this subject, so stay tuned.