{"id":1798,"date":"2026-06-16T14:07:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T14:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1798"},"modified":"2026-06-16T14:07:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T14:07:35","slug":"abusers-of-the-elderly-often-start-with-best-intentions-da-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1798","title":{"rendered":"Abusers of the elderly often start with best intentions, DA says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Most people who decide to start taking care of their elderly loved ones start off with the best intentions.<\/p>\n

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But sometimes caring for that loved one turns into stress, anxiety, depression and a financial strain for the caregiver.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost family caregivers do not wake up intending to neglect or intimate or mishandle a loved one. Abuse often begins when an exhausted caregiver has no support, no break and no place to turn. If we want to prevent elder abuse, we must (help) caregivers before they reach that breaking point,\u201d Debbie Hall, director of Adult Daycare at Neighborhood House, said Monday.<\/p>\n

To mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on Monday, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill on Monday shared data about elder abuse cases in the county and some of the resources available to prevent such abuse from happening.<\/p>\n

In Utah, a person is considered a vulnerable adult when they turn 65. The district attorney\u2019s office reviews cases of physical abuse, financial abuse and exploitation, and those who are victims of neglect and abandonment and even sexual abuse.<\/p>\n

And while Gill says his office does not see a lot of elder abuse cases, two areas that have significantly increased in criminal charges being filed over the past year include aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult and neglect of a vulnerable adult. Gill says the increase is likely due to Salt Lake\u2019s aging population and greater awareness among residents.<\/p>\n

Some of the red flags of possible abuse include increased or unexplained welts and bruises on an elderly victim, the victim becoming more withdrawn or fearful, and the victim losing control over their finances and their possessions disappearing.<\/p>\n

Approximately two-thirds of the perpetrators of elderly abuse are family members, said Gill, who was joined on Monday by Hall and Sandy Police Sgt. Ron Anson, a leader in investigating elder abuse cases in the county.<\/p>\n

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\u201cElder abuse happens behind closed doors. It is not something that is seen in the public. This is something that happens generally in families,\u201d Anson said. \u201cElder abuse is very much a \u2018see something, saying something\u2019 type of situation.<\/p>\n

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