The Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention (see www.elderabuseprevention.info ) and the GFWC Maine Federation of Women’s Clubs (see www.gfwcmaine.org ) jointly sponsored a statewide scholarship contest focused on raising awareness of elder abuse in Maine. The winner of the contest will receive $1,000 and the runner-up will receive $500. With an estimated one out of every nine Maine seniors becoming victims of elder abuse each year, it is of critical importance that more Mainers of all ages learn about this serious issue.
Students applying for the scholarship were asked to respond to the following question: What is elder abuse and what does it mean to you? Essays were received from nearly every one of Maine’s 16 counties. The winner in each county was eligible to compete for the statewide award. The winner and runner-up in the statewide contest will be announced on June 15 which is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
The winning essay in Aroostook County was Emma Hines from Houlton High School. Here is the text of her winning essay:
Abuse can wreak devastating consequences upon any person involved. Both the perpetrator and the victim are scarred forever. There is hope, however, because victims can speak out, call for help, and move forward with their lives. Unfortunately, this hope is severely limited by circumstance; the elderly are not always capable of getting help.
Elder abuse can be deadly. In fact, victims of abuse have shorter life expectancies. Loss of independence, homes, life savings, health, dignity, or security are so stressful that they can shorten a life, especially one that is struggling to hold on. Any form of mistreatment that results in harm or loss to an older person is considered elder abuse. Abuse can be physical, resulting in bodily injury, pain, or impairment; sexual, involving any non-consensual contact; domestic violence, with escalating patterns of violence for power and control over a partner; psychological, inflicting mental or emotional anguish; financial by illegally or improperly using funds, property, or resources; or neglect, failing to fulfill the needs of a person. Abuse is so broad that people often fail to realize its presence in the lives of the elderly. It can be subtle and go unnoticed for far too long.
People spend their entire lives striving for mutual prosperity and happiness, but suddenly, they grow old, and we forget about them. No one wants to grow old, but the reality is: we all will.
When the time comes that we are classified as “old,” we do not want to be the ones mistreated, abused, or neglected. In order to prevent this, we need to raise awareness when we are young; the young people of society are the proponents of change.
Even when we are young, we know elderly people: our grandparents, our great-grandparents, our great aunts and uncles, our favorite high school teachers and college professors, our primary care providers, our coworkers, and people from every facet of society. We do not want any harm coming to those who have raised us, cared for us, and shaped the people we have become. We owe it to the elderly of our society to take care of them and protect them. This becomes especially important as the elderly lose the ability to care for themselves, or even the ability to simply recognize improper care. When I find myself amidst a sea of elderly, myself old, I do not want to wake up every day anticipating some kind of mistreatment of myself or my friends.
Abuse of any kind is not acceptable in our society, but oftentimes it can go unnoticed. The elderly need our voices to speak for them and protect them. Raising awareness of elder abuse one person at a time is essential to ensure the comfort of our elderly. We cannot stand back and ignore the issue of elder abuse because one day it could directly affect our lives. We all grow old, and we all must work together to ensure that we are treated well when the time comes.
If you want to learn more about how you can help prevent elder abuse or you need help stopping abuse visit www.elderabuseprevention.info.
Jaye L. Martin is executive director at Legal Services for the Elderly in Augusta.
