Domestic Violence Any Family, Any Age.

Domestic Violence does not only happen amongst young people. It can occur in older families too. For many older victims of domestic violence, there has been ongoing violence for many years, yet for others, it does not begin until later in life. Domestic Violence is the wrongful exercise of power and control of one person over the other

Various ways that Domestic Violence can be perpetrated include:

Slapping, hitting, bruising, beating, pushing, grabbing, pinching, or any other intentional act that causes someone physical pain, injury or suffering. Physical abuse also includes excessive forms of restraint used to confine someone against their will, i.e. tying, chaining, or locking someone in a room, force feeding.

Can be verbal or non-verbal; it includes insult, yelling and threats of harm, name calling, put downs, humiliating, intimidating, treating an older person like a child.

Is any sexual activity to which the older or dependent adult does not consent to or is incapable of consenting. Non-consensual sexual activity includes; unwanted touching, rough and unpleasant sex, forced or coerced sex, coerced nudity, sodomy….

Misappropriation of property, money or valuables, forced changes to a will or other legal documents, manipulating the older adult for the financial benefit or material gain of another….

Is the refusal to allow a person access to family, friends, social activities, and talking to anyone. Preventing a person from receiving his or her mail or telephone calls….

Failure to provide a person with food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medication, personal safety and health services….

Is this happening to you?

  Remember your bill of rights: