EDITOR’S NOTE: In an effort to provide information on a contemporary social concern, The Times Record will publish submissions from the Elder Abuse Task Force of Mid Coast Maine on the second Wednesday of every month. Each month, a different writer will share his or her perspective on the issue.

Unless otherwise noted, the scenarios described reflect composites of actual events, to protect the confidentiality of the individuals involved.

Each month, a member of the Elder Abuse Task Force of Mid Coast Maine will present an article about elder abuse issues. These professionals work with seniors in the Mid-coast area and will share an aspect of elder abuse with which they are familiar.

We hope that this information will help readers better understand the state of elder abuse in our region and what they might be able to do to stop it.

Over the course of our lifetime, we all rely on our families and friends for guidance and support. It is natural for parents and grandparents to care for their children and grandchildren, and for family to come together to care for a sick loved one.

However, as we age, we will most certainly need increasing support to care for our own age related declines.

Unfortunately, for some Maine citizens, their age and need for assistance makes them vulnerable to financial, psychological, physical, and/or emotional abuse. And studies show that an elder who is abused, particularly those who are financially abused, live much shorter lives than elders who live in a safe environment.

No one wants to think elder abuse happens. We especially don’t want to think elder abuse happens here in Maine.

But it does.

Annually in Maine, there are 14,000 reported cases of elder abuse; however, almost 84 percent of cases are never reported.

Victims are too afraid and ashamed to ask for help because the person hurting them is almost always an adult child, spouse, loved one or caregiver.

A study from the National Center on Elder Abuse, using 2010 data, shows that the elder abuse breaks down into the following percentages:

— 58 percent were neglected by a caregiver or themselves (they refused care which resulted in physical or psychological decline).

— 12 percent were financially abused.

— 7 percent were psychologically abused.

— 16 percent were physically abused.

— 6 percent were other undefined types.

Interestingly, more than 66 percent of the elderly who were abused were abused by their adult children or their own spouse.

With the tough economic times, financial abuse has been on the rise. Phone scams and family pilfering of an elder’s savings and assets has been noticeably on the rise.

What can we do as a community or society to reduce elder abuse?

We can educate ourselves about the dynamics and signs of elder abuse. We can get involved in local community groups such as your local Elder Abuse Task Force (EATF) or TRIAD.

We can break the isolation of our elders by reaching out to them. Please look for changes in the elders in your family and community. Look for signs such as isolation, changes in mood, appearance and weight, all of which may indicate that they are being abused.

Local law enforcement and Adult Protective Services, with the support of your local EATF and TRIAD, are working hard to eliminate elder abuse. However, we need you to be on the lookout for, and speak up on behalf of, the elders in your life and take action. Report your concerns.

If you know someone, or you yourself are a victim of elder abuse, contact your local law enforcement agency and Maine’s Office of Elder Services at 1-800- 624-8404. Your call can be confidential, and it just may save someone’s life.

AMY BERUBE is a licensed master social worker for CHANS Home Health Care. She writes on behalf of the Elder Abuse Task Force of Mid Coast Maine, which meets at 9 a.m. the first Monday of every month at the Washington House in Bath. All are welcome to attend.