Elder abuse is one of those things that the legal system seems to be fervent to defend, but what happened to defending the people that senior citizens abuse? Adult children and grandchildren are often victims of malicious accusations of elder abuse when there’s no concrete evidence to support the accusations made. This is a growing problem among americans when they’re in the position to care for an elderly parent(s) or a relative and they’re so overwhelmed with the day to day task of caring for someone. This especially when seniors are ending up single and alone after the death of a spouse or partner and many of them are slowly becoming last on their family’s list of priorities, but it’s hard for seniors to really understand that their adult children and grandchildren have their own families and lives. It’s sad that many adult children and grandchildren are often hit with these accusations and treated as if they’re to bend over backwards for someone. This is why so many seniors are often put into retirement communities and nursing homes because many adult children and grandchildren can only take so much of the manipulation and abuse. It’s one of those things that goes unnoticed and often overlooked since American society is taught to respect elders, but many of them are often abusive and treat their family members like crap.
Frivolous abuse accusations coming from an elderly person can also be one of the signs of an undiagnosed mental illness. Another reason is that some elderly people have been used to getting their way and when they don’t get their way on something that can also trigger them to make false accusations so they can get sympathy from people to make themselves out to be the victim when the real victims are the people they live around. This is an increasing problem that happens everyday and the issue is that many people believe the senior citizen over someone younger which is the level of manipulation that seniors will engage in to create drama and excessive stress to draw attention to themselves. The fact is that the frivolous abuse accusations will also invite unwanted people into a situation that’s clearly none of their buisness especially if they don’t know the details of the situation. Unfortunately, many are forced to deal with the stress of caring for an elderly relative dealing with being accused of abuse and other kinds of frivolous nonsense. The fact that many elderly people don’t get out and socialize gives some insight to the often childish behavior they display putting those who care for them through the ringer. It’s a no-win situation for those who are caring for elderly relatives to deal with the irrational and irritable behavior of someone making accusations of being abused. In many cases some elderly people are getting top of the line care from family or places they’re paying a lot of money for the best care and will resort to accusing people of being mistreated and abused just to get attention.
Some elderly people are not aware that their adult children and grandchildren have lives of their own and some adult children do not have the financial resources or living space to accomodate caring for an elderly parent(s). The fact that adult children have their own lives the parent(s) feel left out and instead of expressing it in a rational and appropriate manner they gradually start making up stuff to keep the attention on them. This is where at some point the accusations of mistreatment and abuse becomes obvious and that’s where many adult children have to set limits with their elderly parent, but if an senior citizen has been in the position where nobody told them no its when limits and boundaries are set that many of them don’t deal with sudden change like that very well. The fact that many people are hit with this blatant nonsense from senior citizens is why many are stressed and worn out having to deal with being put through the ringer. There are a few situations that is typical of senior citizens to falsely accuse people of wrongdoing as a means to draw attention and sympathy:
Signs that a senior citizen is falsely accusing someone of wrong doing:
1. Making up stories about them stealing-This is the most common of false accusation is being accused of stealing when there’s no wrong doing that has occurred.
2.Accusing someone of being mistreated or abused-This is the second most common act that seniors pull and that is falsely accusing people of things they have no evidence to back up as a means to get attention.
3.Self-inflicted illness or injury-This falls on the line of the disorder munchausen-by-proxy where someone makes themselves sick or hurt as a means to get attention from anyone who will listen to them.
4.When adult children and grandchildren have to set limits on things-Seniors want to feel like they’re still independent, but in some cases they have to get help in doing things. When they are approached with limits and boundaries when they were not given that before they’re accusing someone of being abused and treated badly.
5. Getting argumentive over trivial things-When seniors have been given free reign to do as they please and nobody has told them no they feel like their best move is to argue with people until they get what they want.
6. Conversation with outsiders is usually negative-When seniors are not getting their way they start telling people outside the family about how they’re being treated bad and abused when in fact they’re not being abused at all.
These are six common signs that elderly people use to falsely accuse someone of mistreatment and abuse when they can’t get their way. It’s signs like this that many caregivers miss and end up walking into a trap because accusations once made can cause a lot of problems. This is a problem that’s often swept under the rug because of society’s views of the elderly and many caretakers are put through the ringer as a result of their elderly relative or parent(s) behavior. This also points to the second empty nest syndrome because kids and grandchildren move away and many don’t have a lot of productive time on their hands so they are left to their own devices which can be detrimental.
This also brings on behavior that’s unstable and irrational and gets to the point that it causes caretakers to be stressed and worn out. This is where seniors don’t see how unfair this is to their adult children and grandchildren. With the baby boom generation having to care for elderly parents it has become difficult for many adult children in their 50s and 60s to have a life of their own without feeling like they’re saddled down with a big responsibility. Even now adult grandchildren are having to take on the responsibility of caring for elderly grandparents when their parent(s) can no longer do it and they too are often put through the ringer with frivolous accusations of abuse and mistreatment as a means to get attention.
This is a growing problem that isnt going away anytime soon and the caretakers who are at the mercy of their elderly relatives. This is not only damaging to someone’s reputation, but it’s also the one element that can cause permanent damage to family relations.
