While many of us are still reasonably fit, healthy and strong in our later years, we may also need a few more medical appointments and prescriptions than we did before. We might coordinate and manage our medical care successfully on our own, or we might involve other people to help make it all happen.
Either way, we have the right to access the medical treatment and health care that we need in the way that we want. No one should prevent this access or ignore our preferences for our medical care. And when we are receiving treatment, we should feel that our concerns are heard and responded to.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always what happens, and here are some examples.
Someone else cancels our medical appointments or refuses to take us or let us attend.
We can’t arrange or attend medical care by ourselves and no one will help us, so we aren’t getting what we need.
We don’t get to choose which medical practitioners we see.
Someone is meant to be helping us keep to our medication schedule, but they aren’t, so we’re missing doses.
We have physical conditions that are getting worse, but no one will listen to us or help us arrange treatment.
We have medical aids, like a walking frame or dentures, but they are kept from us.
Medical practitioners dismiss our symptoms as “typical for your age”.
Doctors speak to the person who’s with us and not directly to us.
Other people’s denial of our medical attention can be deliberate, or it can happen accidentally – for example, when someone who is responsible for our care isn’t coping with that responsibility. But whether it’s deliberate or accidental, preventing (or failing to ensure) our access to medical care can result in injuries, illnesses, infections or other complications that could have been prevented.
In fact, it can amount to elder abuse, even if it wasn’t intentional. “Elder abuse” is a term used to describe abusive behaviour towards an older person or a lack of care that results in their harm or distress. It can happen in all kinds of relationships and situations. It can be deliberate or unintentional, and it can be hard to recognise.
One type of elder abuse is neglect, which occurs when someone fails to ensure that our basic needs, such as essential medical care, are met. Another type is physical abuse – acts that cause pain, injury or both. Neglecting an older person’s medical needs can have serious physical consequences, so it’s a serious matter.
Is anyone preventing you from receiving the medical attention you need, either deliberately or accidentally?
All comments are moderated. Please visit our terms of use for guidance on how to engage with our community.