In our ongoing Healing the Unspoken Trauma Series, Voice Your Stories shine a light on a silent yet deeply painful reality, Elderly Financial Exploitation.
There is a story about Mama Grace, who spent her twilight years caring for her only son, a man already in his thirties.
She paid his rent, met his basic needs, and every time the phone rang, it was never to check on her, it was always to ask for something.
Still, Mama Grace believed this was her way of showing him unconditional love.
Though she was a retired civil servant in her seventies, she wasn’t spending her retirement money on herself, but on her son, who seemed not to care for her well-being.
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Deep down, she hoped that one day he would look back, remember her sacrifices, and reciprocate her love.
Eventually, he got married, and Mama felt completely disconnected from him.
Sadly, her finances seemed closer to his heart than she was. When Mama fell ill, he never visited.
Yet, when death finally came for her, the son who had long been absent was the first to arrive in the village, not to mourn, but to claim her property.
Unfortunately for him, Mama had already realized that her only son cared more about her money than her well-being.
In her wisdom, she willed everything to a family relative who had been by her side, soothing her pain in her final days.
This suggests that Mama must have developed Emotional ( betrayal, loneliness) and Psychological (Depression , anxiety and post- traumatic stress) trauma as a result of her son’s neglect.
Her story is the unspoken reality of many elderly parents, neglected by the very children they nurtured, and exploited for the little they have left.
Sadly, some children remain attached to their aged parents only because of the financial benefits, not genuine care for their well-being.
This kind of lifestyle is often found in some African homes, especially among retired civil servants and wealthy individuals who have the economic power to give.
Having an elderly woman or man who is still saddled with taking care of their adult children’s financial needs can be emotionally draining.
And when the parent suddenly realizes that they are not really loved but are only seen as an ATM, this can result in trauma.
Such an attitude towards the elderly is abuse, and this is what we call Elderly Financial Exploitation.
This has made some elderly people live in poverty because their children used them for financial gain.
Beyond the finances, some have abandoned their kids with their elderly mothers to take care of.
Some children even manipulate their parents into selling their land, properties, and jewelry.
Elderly Financial Exploitation leaves the elderly battling trauma, quietly suffering from neglect and emotional pain, while still giving out of love.
When was the last time you visited your parents in the village?
