With seniors living longer, it puts a strain on healthcare, senior institutions, and long-term care facilities. We need to understand, prevent, and resolve life’s challenges. Every year, tens of thousands of elderly are abused in their own homes, in relatives homes, and even in care facilities. As seniors become more physically frail, they’re less able to stand up to bullying or to fight back if attacked. They may not see or hear as well or think as clearly as they used to, leaving openings for unscrupulous people to take advantage. Seniors being abused are often abused by those who are directly responsible for their care. More than half a million reports of abuse reach the authorities every year, and millions more cases go unreported. Abuse takes place where the senior lives, most often in their own home, where the abusers are apt to be family members. Horrifying also is the fact that long-term care facilities and senior institutions can also be sources of elder abuse.

Physical abuse is non- accidental force against an elderly person, causing pain, injury, or impairment. Emotional abuse, is treating elderly persons in ways that cause emotional pain or distress. Yelling, threats, ridicule, or can be in the form of ignoring or isolating them from friends or activities. Financial exploitation constitutes more than half of all reported cases of senior abuse. This involves unauthorized use of elders funds or property, either by the caregiver or an outside scam artist. Any misuse of personal checks, credit cards, accounts, income checks, household goods, stealing of cash, all are form of elder abuse. At first you might not recognize signs of abuse, in fact, many signs and symptoms overlap with symptoms of mental deterioration, but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss them on the caregivers say-so. Do your part, by listening to seniors, watch for warning signs, keep an eye for financial transactions, and call or visit as often as you can.

This year the seniors at branch #30 had to reach deep into their pockets as everything needed to be replaced or redone all at once. We now have a new roof on our building, a new bingo machine that needs a little love and understanding to run, a new dish sanitizer for the kitchen and some new burners for our busy stove. Now we are in fine shape to take on winter. And to make the rest of us in good shape for winter we have the flu shots coming up October 29 from 9am to 3:30 pm, and again November 10 from 9am to 1:00 pm.  This year we will have our oink fest dinner on November 1, so make sure you have your tickets, they are on sale now at our hall. If your not having dinner with us, please feel free to drop by and have a coffee with us or a game of cards, your always welcome.