Nursing Homes: Elder Abuse on the Rise: One Way to Protect Your Parents

The Baby Boomer generation is getting older. Pretty soon the majority of the population will be elderly. While people continue to age, social service systems are having difficulty keeping up—it seems as if there isn’t enough care to go around. This unfortunate truth is leading to a set of issues under the umbrella of elder abuse. 

Elder abuse can consist of numerous issues, the most common being physical abuse, emotional abuse, exploitation, and abandonment. While family members can often be involved in such cases, staff from nursing homes and assisted living facilities can be common culprits—2 in 3 care staff report having committed elder abuse at some point.  

The saddest fact of all is that elderly people often don’t have the means to stand up for themselves—sometimes they’ll be silenced by assistive care staff; other times their mental state. Alzheimer’s, dementia, and critical thinking deterioration brought on by aging can make it impossible to verbalize what’s happening to them. Unfortunately, such trends are continuing and abuse is regularly covered up, unreported, and untreated. 

For aging children who already have their parents in elderly care facilities or those soon considering it, elder abuse can sound scary. So, how do you protect against it? Thankfully, there are protective self defense devices available that can help you make sure your parents are safe and secure while in the care of others. 

Elderly Safety Devices

To protect the seniors you love, it’s best to provide them with effective elderly safety devices. The best thing about such devices is that they can be innocuous, providing hidden protection without bringing direct attention to it. 

A tool like the ZAP™  Stun Walking Cane makes a perfect elderly safety device for its ease of use and multi-purpose utility. Providing both support while working and acting as a self-defense device, this walking cane can deliver a high-powered electric shock (up to one million volts worth) if someone feels threatened. Measuring anywhere from 32 to 36 inches, this cane is perfect for elderly folk of nearly every height. And, most importantly, in a pinch, your elderly parents can effectively protect themselves as needed. 

In-Home Surveillance 

The popularity of hidden cameras and spy cameras has increased in recent years, and all for good reason. Legal for use in long-term care facilities and nursing homes across various states, concerned children can now keep an eye on the activities of their parents—and their care—to ensure they’re being properly cared for and protected at all times. If anything ever goes awry, you can be sure to have a legally protected video on hand.   

New technology has allowed the creation of Wi-Fi spy cameras that allow you to record video and keep a monitoring eye on your elderly parents 24/7. Most of these cameras offer reliable DVR recording capabilities, allowing you to store videos for future use if anything troublesome is picked up. Some devices offer enhanced motion-activated recording features, ensuring that recording only occurs when people are moving through your elderly parent’s space. 

While it might not necessarily protect them in the moment, it can be one of the best tools to ensure they are protected in the long run. If any type of abuse occurs, you can have it captured on camera, which can be presented to any law enforcement agency to ensure that your parents remain safe and secure. 

Pepper Spray

Looking for something simple that can be easily wielded to protect your elderly relatives? Hidden protective gear like a pepper spray keychain can provide a basic line of defense. Easy to conceal, non-lethal, and super-hot, pepper spray makes the perfect self-defense weapon for the elderly. Rather than allowing abuse to continue, an elderly relative can incapacitate their aggressor for long enough to receive help elsewhere. Prior to purchasing, remember to check the legality of pepper spray by state. 

Protecting your senior relatives doesn’t come easy. Beyond protecting them from themselves, whether making poor financial decisions or falling within the home while overexerting themselves, they can be a target for abuse within assistive care homes. At The Home Security Superstore, you’ll find the right elderly safety devices that can help you take the necessary steps to ensure that your elderly parents are properly protected. For more information regarding home security, please reach out to one of our knowledgeable representatives.