EPA-0490 - Abuse in the Elderly Population

Abstract

In 1995 was celebrated the first consensus conference of abuse in the elderly population. In this consensus, abuse was defined as 'any act, or omission, that causes damage (intentional or not) practiced on people with 65 years or older, that can appear: in family, community or institutional environment, that can harm or endanger the physical and/or mental state, and the principle of autonomy or other fundamental rights of the individual, subjectively perceived or objectively verifiable. There are different types of abuse: physical, sexual, emotional or psychological, abandonment, neglect and financial.

The abuse in the elderly is a little known phenomenon at all levels (legal, medical, social), it is very important to learn about it and be able to identify the characteristics (signs of abuse, vulnerabilities of victims ...) in our work place to protect them

We are going to talk (with two clinical cases) about one of the most unknown kind of financial abuse: the undue influence. It is a legal concept in which, the dominant part (through various tactics: adulation, insistence, deceit... and with a relationship of trust) takes advantage of its influence for economic purposes. The undue influence does not occur in a single act, it consists in a pattern of behaviors, a process of manipulation etc...

An effective assessment can prevent needless emotional and financial losses of the victims and help them maintain their autonomy.