Older Adults Can Be Bullies Too - Elderly Abuse, Harassment, Peer Pres... Friends & Family

Older Adults Can Be Bullies Too

Seniors in nursing homes assisted living facilities face peer pressure from other seniors

Today we often read about cyberbullies among young people, but bullying also plagues senior centers, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Between 10 and 20 percent of residents in senior care homes are mistreated by peers, says Robin Bonifas, an Arizona State University gerontology expert. See also: Photo by Corbis Bridge/Alamy Seniors are bullying other seniors in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Nationwide, that translates to hundreds of thousands of people who . Many incidents of name-calling, bossy behavior, loud arguments and, at its most extreme, physical violence go unreported. "It's very difficult for a lot of our seniors to step up and say something has happened," says Mary Jones, director of elder rights at the Area Agency on Aging in West Palm Beach, Fla. Some facilities adopt practices that aim to preempt aggressive behavior. If you're sizing up a place, experts recommend asking whether it follows these practices: Residents are required to sign a code of conduct to treat peers with consideration and respect; resident "ambassadors" help newcomers transition into the community; staff members coach residents on how to handle snubs and aggression; staff members encourage bystanders to act in positive ways when they observe bullying, being respectful of possible physical or cognitive impairment; and offenders receive a written reprimand or, in the case of multiple complaints, stronger penalties. You may also like:

Related

– Receive access to exclusive information, benefits and discounts. Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.