When grandma went to a nursing home in Los Angeles, the last thing her children thought of was how to end nursing home bullying faced by the elder grandma.
Unfortunately, when it comes to social gatherings, even in senior settings, there are bullies who try to become the alpha in that setting. Here are some examples:
a. Gossip.
b. Fist fights.
c. Establishing cliques.
d. Excluding others from social events.
e. Making fun of an elder’s physical self, or the way he or he does things.
If you have an elder family member who is at a nursing facility, or one who is involved at the senior center, you should ask him or her about behavior of others. Many people find it embarrassing to share these things, but the only way to prevent them is to bring it out the public, and the attention of the facility’s management.
Elder bullying can become elder abuse. Your must take care of it and report it to change it. Further, if the elder is under the care of the facility, you must ask that the facility show you how they handle these situations.
A local nonprofit in San Francisco, the Institute on Aging is developing an anti-bullying program. Senior center staff members received 18 hours of training that included lessons on what constitutes bullying, causes of the problem and how to manage such conflicts.
Robin Bonifas, a social work professor at Arizona State University and author of the book “Bullying Among Older Adults: How to Recognize and Address an Unseen Epidemic,” said existing research suggests that about 1 in 5 seniors encounters bullying.
Sometimes causes of bullying may be, loss of control, loss of independence, and general grieving. No matter what the cause, bullying is emotionally harmful, and can be physically harmful as well.
Call Mina Sirkin, Elder and Conservatorship Attorney in Los Angeles to discuss elder bullying at 818.340.4479 or to set an appointment. Email us here: Info@Sirkinlaw.com
