11 Facts About Elder Abuse

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1. Elder abuse most often takes place in the home where the senior lives. It can also happen in institutional settings, especially long-term care facilities.^[The Council on Elder Abuse. “What is Elder Abuse?”. http://www.councilonelderabuse.org/education.php?PageTitle=What%20is%20Elder%20Abuse?&SPID=10&PCID=4#.VF0A3ot4oqQ. Accessed Nov 7th 2014.]
2. It is estimated that more than 1 in 10 older adults experience some form of abuse.^[Associated Living Federation of America. “Elder Abuse Facts”. www.alfa.org/document.asp?docid=261. Accessed Nov 7th, 2014.]
3. In an 1985 workshop, researchers stated that two dominant characteristics of American society were to blame for the prevalence of elder abuse: ageism and violence. Fight ageism by recreating an old photo of a badass senior. Sign up for Past Picture Perfect.^[Kosberg, Jordan and Garcia, Juanita. “Elder Abuse: International and Cross-Cultural Perspectives”. New York: Routledge, 2013.]
4. Most victims are dependent on their abuser for basic needs.^[National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence. “Elder Abuse Information”. http://www.nccafv.org/elder.htm. Updated Nov 1st, 2014. (Accessed Nov 7th, 2014)]
5. The most common form of abuse is financial exploitation, with physical abuse, neglect and emotional abuse following.^[Associated Living Federation of America. “Elder Abuse Facts”. www.alfa.org/document.asp?docid=261. Accessed Nov 7th, 2014.]
6. Seniors who have been abused have a 300% higher risk of death in the next 3 years compared to those who weren’t.^[Associated Living Federation of America. “Elder Abuse Facts”. www.alfa.org/document.asp?docid=261. Accessed Nov 7th, 2014.]
7. In almost 90% of elder abuse and neglect incidents, the perpetrator is a family member. 2/3 of perpetrators are adult children or spouses.^[National Council on Aging. “FAQ’s on Elder Abuse”. http://www.ncoa.org/public-policy-action/elder-justice/faqs-on-elder-abuse.html. Accessed Nov 7th, 2014.]
8. For every reported incident of elder abuse, 5 others go unreported.^[National Center on Elder Abuse. “Elder Abuse Prevalence and Incidence”. http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/resources/publication/docs/finalstatistics050331.pdf. Accessed Nov 7th, 2014.]
9. In 2000, states were asked to indicate the number of elder/adult reports received in the most recent year for which data were available. The total number of reports was 472,813.^[A Response to the Abuse of Vulnerable Adults: The 2000 Survey of State Adult Protective Services. 2003. Washington, DC: National Center on Elder Abuse.]
10. Passive neglect is a form of abuse in which a caregiver neglects to provide the victim with basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, or medical care.^[National Council on Aging. “FAQ’s on Elder Abuse”. http://www.ncoa.org/public-policy-action/elder-justice/faqs-on-elder-abuse.html. Accessed Nov 7th, 2014.]
11. Legislatures in all 50 states have passed some type of elder abuse law.^[American Bar. “Adult Protective Services, Institutional Abuse and Long Term Care Ombudsman Program Laws: Citations, by State” http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/migrated/aging/about/pdfs/APS_IA_LTCOP_Citations_Chart.authcheckdam.pdf/. (2007)Accessed Nov 7th, 2014.]