People with Alzheimer's are vulnerable to abuse by people close to them. They may also fall prey to strangers who take advantage of their cognitive impairment.

Abuse can come in many forms.

• Physical - caused by an injury or a disease.
• Emotional - from verbal assaults, threats, harassment and intimidation.
• In the form of neglect - where there is a failure to provide necessities, including food, clothing, shelter, or medical care.
• Financial - the misuse or withholding of the person's resources to his or her disadvantage or the advantage of someone else.
• Sexual - inappropriate touching, fondling or sexual activity when the person is unable to understand, unwilling to consent, threatened or physically forced.
• Willful deprivation - where someone is willfully denying the person medication, medical care, food, shelter or physical assistance, and thus exposing them to harm.
• No matter what form it comes in, it is the responsibility of the caregiver to be alert to the possibility of abuse and stop it when it does occur.

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While it is the job of the caregiver to protect the person with dementia, it is often the family or professional caregiver who is the abuser. In many cases, stress and frustration may provoke unintentional violent feelings in caregivers. Family caregivers may feel isolated, depressed, and resentful toward the person with dementia and may become abusive without realizing it. Other issues, such as substance abuse, emotional problems, and dependency, may also lead to mistreatment.

If you are having difficulty dealing with stress related to caregiving, it is important to get the support you need through a counselor, clergy, or an Alzheimer's Association-sponsored support group. To contact the New York Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, click here to send a confidential e-mail, or call us at 800.272.3900.

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To report an incident of elder abuse, call the NYC Department for the Aging –
Crime Victims Resource Center, 212-442-3103.

Sources: National, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc. and the American Medical News (1992), vol. 35, no. 46

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