When Mary turned 86 years old, her daughter, Claire, decided it was time for her to move to a nursing home. Claire, who is recently divorced with three small children.

When Mary turned 86 years old, her daughter, Claire, decided it was time for her to move to a nursing home. Claire, who is recently divorced with three small children.

When Mary turned 86 years old, her daughter, Claire, decided it was time for her to move to a nursing home. Claire, who is recently divorced with three small children, did not have the energy or resources to take care of her mother. Mary required constant attention because she had a tendency to wonder off, leave the water running, forgets to turn off the stove, and once flooded the bathroom. Mary took several medications for a variety of aches and pains and trying to keep the medication filled and dispensed was an extra stress that Claire could not deal with. Reluctantly Mary moved into a nursing home and within a week the nursing home Administrator called Claire to inform her that her mother had fallen out of bed and broke her hip. Claire went to visit her mother in the hospital and was shocked at what she saw! Along with the broken hip Mary had a black eye, bruises are both arms, an abrasion on her back and her abdomen was distended. Claire was immediately concerned that the injuries were not sustained through a fall, but from more serious acts of abuse. She contacted the police who investigated the staff at the nursing home.

Adapted from: Barnett, O. W., Miller-Perrin, C. L., & Perrin, R. D. (2011). Family violence across the lifespan: An introduction (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.