Most people are aware of child abuse and domestic abuse between partners, however there’s another kind of abuse that is worth paying attention to.

Elder abuse — the abuse of senior citizens. It happens in nursing homes, in the home of the senior’s children or at the hand of a trusted caretaker and there are signs to look for that you could miss if you’re not looking close enough.

A new study was released this year by the National Institute of Justice regarding bruises. People are more prone to falls as they age because their bodies are more fragile and their balance may be off for a variety of reasons, but because it’s so easy to blame an injury on a fall,. This study looks at accidental bruising and how to determine a case of abuse.

The main point of the study is to stress that accidental bruising does not happen on the face, neck, torso or back. Accidental bruises are typically found on the legs and arms and usually no one can remember how they got there.

But one sure sign of abuse is if a person has a story for the bruise, the story could be a lie, but someone with an intentional bruise will always have a reason for it being there.

Another good indicator of abuse is if the bruise is larger than two inches.

The new study also said it’s no longer safe to judge a bruise by it’s color because it has been discovered that the color of a bruise does not in fact indicate when the bruise happened.

A yellow bruise can happen the first day of an incident, so now every case has to be looked at much more closely.

Susan Sellers, director of the Hamlet Senior Center said she hasn’t had any recent cases of elder abuse but she has had some in the past.

“By law, if we’re aware of anyone being abused we’re supposed to report it to the police and DSS (Department of Social Services),” she said. “It depends on if it’s self abuse, neglect, abuse by their children or spouse. It’s not common here but it is prominent in this state.”

Sellers said once in a while, someone at the center will stand out as a potential abuse victim.

“They’re withdrawn, don’t want to get involved, there may even be some drug abuse,” Sellers explained. “We watch, then report if need be.”

Sellers said there was one woman in particular who stood out to her in recent months who was showing signs of possible spousal abuse, but she stopped visiting the center.

Sellers said previous cases the center has reported have been handled quickly and confidentially.

Mildred Harden, supervisor of Adult Services with DSS said her department focuses on all dependent adults, not just seniors, and didn’t have specific statistics relating to this particular form of abuse.

Harden did say, however, that any time abuse or exploitation is suspected a DSS case worker does meet with the adults, their families or caretakers and the police are alerted as soon as DSS gets the call.

Rockingham Police Chief Robert Voorhees, whose Criminal Investigations Unit handles cases of elder abuse, said it’s not a prominent issue in Rockingham.

“It’s not a matter of routine,” he said. “We have had a few over the years and have charged people with elder abuse. Some cases are of caretakers taking the Social Security checks of elders and neglecting their care, sometimes nursing home maltreatment.”

“All crimes are a problem, but this isn’t one we get a report on every week.”

Voorhees said if someone suspects elder abuse, the first thing to do is to call DSS who will send out staff to investigate whether criminal misconduct, fraud or abuse are suspected. If either one of those things is suspected, DSS will call the police.

“Every case is unique,” Voorhees said. “Something as simple as a bruise might be a sign of abuse, but it could also have happened while someone was being moved from a hospital bed. But typically signs include bruises, lacerations, broken bones, dehydration, malnourishment — all may indicate abuse especially if they’re being taken care of in a private home.”