What is domestic violence?
Pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship.
Used to gain or maintain control and power over another partner.
Can be emotional, sexual, physical, economic, psychological, or technological threats.
Severity and frequency can vary, but it’s mostly to maintain power and control over the other person.
Affects individuals in every community regardless of age, economic status, nationality gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
Examples of abuse include: accusing the victim of cheating, embarrassing or shaming the victim with put-downs, controlling every penny spend in the household, stalking the victim’s every move in person or on the internet, hitting and grabbing the victim, coerce sexual behavior without consent, threatening physical harm to partner, and more.
How is domestic abuse is linked to dementia?
Older people living with dementia are often victims of domestic abuse. This is because many elders cannot recognize abuse, and many people who take care of these elders do not understand how to properly take care of dementia patients. Another reason is that the abuser gets annoyed or frustrated while taking care of dementia patients and thinks that the elderly is trying to make his/her life harder on purpose, even though they are not.
Domestic abusers can include care givers, partners, and even people who have dementia.
Some relationships may seem abusive, even though there are not. This is because some of these signs are just from symptoms of dementia.
People who have dementia can also begin to behave abusively. An example is an elderly woman living with dementia who gets in an argument with her husband. The elderly woman thinks that she has not taken her medicine yet, even though she already has. The husband says how she will stay up all night, demanding him to give her the medicine. The husband tries to explain that she has already taken it, but she gets angry and frustrated, until she threatens the husband with a household object like scissors.
Some researchers say that it is possible that domestic violence/abuse at a young age could increase the chance of developing dementia.
Dementia and domestic abuse coexist in many different ways. Alzheimer’s is more common in women and women are often the victims of domestic violence. Around the world, domestic abuse affects one in three women, and nearly two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer's are women.
What are brain injuries?
Sudden injury that causes damage to the brain.
Could happen from a jolt, blow, or bump to the head.
Common causes are falls, sports injuries, being struck by an object, and motor vehicle crashes.
Anyone can get it, but men are most likely to have serious Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Also, adults aged 65 and older are at the greatest risk of being hospitalized and dying from TBI.
TBI can have mild, moderate, or severe symptoms. It depends on if you are conscious or not, symptoms, and other factors.
How are brain injuries related to dementia?
Many studies and research show that head injuries can result in an increased risk of dementia.
Certain types of TBI may increase the risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s years later after the injury.