Roughly one in 10 adults over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse, including domestic violence, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse. But abusers are not always intimate partners, they’re also adult children.
Alice Ghareib is the community program manager of Doves in Phoenix, which serves older victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
"Domestic violence includes abuse, any abuse in a trusted relationship. So that could be a child, it could be other familial members of the family, it could be a roommate," Ghareib said.
She says when the perpetrator is a victim’s adult child, it’s a much tougher type of abuse to recover from.
"That is your flesh and blood; you gave birth to this person," Ghareib said. "And then unfortunately, we start questioning ourselves what kind of parent am I that I raised someone that could treat me that way?"
Doves provides transitional housing for victims with the goal of helping that person become self-sufficient.
"The overwhelming majority still tend to be female that are victims of abuse. And for many of them, they were so totally controlled, they never paid a bill, they don't know how to pay a bill. Many of them did not work outside the home," Ghareib said.
That means they likely don’t have any kind of social security benefit or other savings.
Doves also provide legal services, counseling, virtual support groups, housing assistance and help accessing public benefits.
Ghareib says since the pandemic they’ve seen an increase in victims coming to Doves.
For help or more information, call the Senior Help Line: 602-264-4357.
Types of elder abuse from the
National Center on Elder Abuse
- Physical Abuse: The intentional or reckless use of physical harm or physical coercion that may result in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment. Under the Older Americans Act, ‘‘physical harm’’ means bodily injury, impairment, or disease.
- Sexual Abuse: Non-consensual sexual contact of any kind with an older adult.
- Emotional/Psychological Abuse: The infliction of anguish, pain, or distress through verbal or nonverbal acts.
- Neglect: The refusal or failure of a caregiver or fiduciary to fulfill any part of a person's obligations or duties of care to an older person. The Elder Justice Act defines neglect as “the failure of a caregiver or fiduciary to provide the goods or services that are necessary to maintain the health or safety of an elder.
- Financial: The illegal, unauthorized, or improper use of an older person’s resources for monetary or personal benefit, profit, or gain, or that results in depriving an older person of rightful access to, or use of, benefits, resources, belongings, or assets.
- Self-Neglect: An adult’s inability, due to physical or mental impairment or diminished capacity, to perform essential self-care tasks.
- Abandonment: The desertion of an older person by an individual who has assumed responsibility for providing care for an elder, or by a person with physical custody of an elder.
