The Ugly Truth About Elder Abuse

I am very lucky and blessed to have been brought up by loving parents who believed that marriage and raising a family is a life-long comittment.  When it is their turn to be cared for, my sister, brother and I know that this is just the natural progression of life and we are happy to have the opportunity to provide them with what they need.

Some of our Baby Boomer friends have a much different experience with their aging parents. One or both parents are abusive, have been or are continuing to be abused. Emotional, physical, sexual abuse and neglect are hard realities of life that we don't like to think about or talk about.  But letting these topics lie dormant can only hurt more.

Below is a sampling of findings that show what is known about the incidence and prevalence of elder abuse and neglect from the National Center on Elder Abuse:

• The most recent major studies on incidence reported that 7.6%–10% of study participants experienced abuse in the prior year. (6,7) The study that found an incidence of 1 in 10 adults experiencing abuse did not include financial abuse.(8)
• Available data from state Adult Protective Services (APS) agencies show an increasing trend in the reporting of elder abuse.
• Despite the accessibility of APS in all 50 states (whose programs are quite different), as well as mandatory reporting laws for elder abuse in most states, an overwhelming number of cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation go undetected and untreated each year.
• One study estimated that only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse ever comes to the attention of authorities.(9) The New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study found that for every case known to programs and agencies, 24 were unknown.(10)
• Major financial exploitation was self-reported at a rate of 41 per 1,000 surveyed, which was higher than self-reported rates of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse or neglect. (10)

In future posts, I will take a closer look at the various types of abuse, who is perpetrating elder abuse, why and how it occurs and provide our readers with resources for getting help with or the prevention of elder abuse.  As I mentioned above, these are not pleasant discussions but I feel a sense of duty to expose these truths and to educate others in order to make a difference in the lives of aging parents who have been put in our care.  In the meantime, if you know or suspect elder abuse in any form, you can call 1-800-996-6228. (Michigan)

Family Matters Is Doing the Most Important Work For Your Most Important People

⁶Lifespan of Greater Rochester, Inc., Weill Cornell Medical Center of Cornell University. & New York City Department for the Aging. (2011) Under the Radar: New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study. New York: Author.
⁷Acierno R, Hernandez MA, Amstadter AB, Resnick HS, Steve K, Muzzy W, et al. (2010). Prevalence and correlates of emotional, physical, sexual, and financial abuse and potential neglect in the United States: The national elder mistreatment study. American Journal of Public, 100(2), 292-297.
⁸Teaster PB, Dugar T, Mendiondo M, Abner EL, Cecil KA, & Otto JM. (2004). The 2004 survey of adult protective services: Abuse of adults 60 years of age and older. Washington DC: National Center on Elder Abuse.
⁹National Research Council. (2003) Elder mistreatment: Abuse, neglect and exploitation in an aging America. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.
¹⁰Lifespan of Greater Rochester, Inc., Weill Cornell Medical Center of Cornell University. & New York City Department for the Aging. (2011) Under the Radar: New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study. New York: Author.