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Elder Rights & Resources

Elder Abuse

Elder Abuse Is a Serious Problem

Each year hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected and exploited by family members and others. Many victims are people who are older, frail, and vulnerable and cannot help themselves and depend on others to meet their most basic needs.

Legislatures in all 50 states have passed some form of elder abuse prevention laws. Laws and definitions of terms vary considerably from one state to another, but all states have set up reporting systems. Generally, adult protective services (APS) agencies receive and investigate reports of suspected elder abuse.

The 1998 National Elder Abuse Incidence Study funded in part by AoA found the following:

  • 551,011 persons, aged 60 and over, experienced abuse, neglect, and/or self-neglect in a one-year period;
  • Almost four times as many new incidents of abuse, neglect, and/or self-neglect were not reported as those that were reported to and substantiated by adult protective services agencies;
  • Persons, aged 80 years and older, suffered abuse and neglect two to three times their proportion of the older population; and
  • Among known perpetrators of abuse and neglect, the perpetrator was a family member in 90 percent of cases. Two-thirds of the perpetrators were adult children or spouses.

Generally Accepted Definitions

Elder abuse is an umbrella term used to describe one or more of the following:

  • Physical abuse is the willful infliction of physical pain or injury, e.g., slapping, bruising, sexually molesting, or restraining.
  • Sexual abuse is the infliction of non-consensual sexual contact of any kind.
  • Emotional or psychological abuse is the infliction of mental or emotional anguish, e.g., humiliating, intimidating, or threatening.
  • Financial or material exploitation is the improper act or process of an individual, using the resources of an older person, without his/her consent, for someone else's benefit.
  • Neglect is the failure of a caretaker to provide goods or services necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish or mental illness, e.g., abandonment, denial of food or health related services.
  • Self-neglect is characterized as the behavior of an elderly person that threatens his/her own health or safety.

Reporting Elder Abuse

To report elder abuse, contact APS through your state’s hotline. The APS agency screens calls for potential seriousness, and it keeps the information it receives confidential. If the agency decides the situation possibly violates state elder abuse laws, it assigns a caseworker to conduct an investigation (in cases of an emergency, usually within 24 hours). If the victim needs crisis intervention, services are available. If elder abuse is not substantiated, most APS agencies will work as necessary with other community agencies to obtain any social and health services that the older person needs.

The older person has the right to refuse services offered by APS. The APS agency provides services only if the senior agrees or has been declared incapacitated by the court and a guardian has been appointed. The APS agency only takes such action as a last resort.

The Role of the Administration on Aging

AoA has a strong commitment to protecting seniors from elder abuse. Our community-based long-term care programs allow millions of seniors to age in place with dignity. AoA also supports a range of activities at the state and local level to raise awareness about elder abuse. These activities include training law enforcement officers and medical professionals in how to recognize and respond to elder abuse cases, conducting public awareness and education campaigns, and creating statewide and local elder abuse prevention coalitions and multi-disciplinary teams.

AoA funds the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) to serve as a resource for the public and for professionals. NCEA consists of a consortium of six partners: the National Association of State Units on Aging, the lead agency; the Commission on Law and Aging of the American Bar Association; the Clearinghouse on Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly of the University of Delaware, which has an on-line searchable database; the San Francisco Consortium for Elder Abuse Prevention of the Institute on Aging; the National Association of Adult Protective Services Administrators; and the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.

NCEA provides elder abuse information to the public and to professionals; offers technical assistance and training to elder abuse agencies and related professionals; conducts short-term elder abuse research; and assists with elder abuse program and policy development. It manages an elder abuse list serve for professionals in the field, and it produces a monthly newsletter. NCEA's website contains many resources, including a list of the state elder abuse hotlines and information on publications, community coalitions, and upcoming conferences. You can contact NCEA in a number of ways:

Website: http://www.elderabusecenter.org (Off Site)
Phone: (202) 898-2586
Fax: (202) 898-2583
E-mail: NCEA@nasua.org
Mail: 1201 15th Street, N.W., Suite 350
Washington, D.C. 20005-2800

Elder Abuse Resources:

Other Elder Abuse Resources:

Domestic Violence Resources

  • Closing the Gap: Violence (Off Site)

    This HHS newsletter provides links to numerous federal fact sheets containing supportive information, statistics, and initiatives under way to eliminate domestic violence.

  • Community Checklist (Off Site)

    Important Steps to End Violence Against Women - This publication provides information for community groups, schools, religious institutions, law enforcement agencies, and others to raise awareness and prevent domestic violence.

  • Frequently Asked Questions Violence Against Women (Off Site)

    This fact sheet provides a definition of domestic violence, intimate partner violence and sexual assault and provides resources for help if you are a victim or know someone who is a victim of domestic violence.

  • HHS Fact Sheet: Access to HHS-funded Services for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence (Off Site)

    The welfare reform law passed in 1996 created new requirements affecting access to federally funded programs for immigrants. One vulnerable population specifically addressed in the legislation is battered immigrants and their children. This Fact Sheet provides guidance about eligibility for all the various programs and services funded by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

  • HHS Fact Sheet: Preventing Violence Against Women (Off Site)

    This publication is about government initiatives to prevent violence against women. Topics discussed include the Violence Against Women Act, The National Domestic Violence Hotline, and other government programs.

Domestic Violence - Federal Offices/Organizations


Disclaimer: References from this web page or from any of the information services sponsored by AoA to any non-governmental entity, product, service or information does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Administration on Aging or any of its employees. AoA is not responsible for the contents of any "off-site" web pages referenced from this server. Although our page includes links to sites including or referencing good collections of information, AoA does not endorse ANY specific products or services provided by public or private organizations. By using this site, the user takes full responsibility for any use of these links.



Spotlight - Images of Older Americans
Additional Topics
* The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study (PDF)
* Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America (2002) - The National Academies Press (Off Site)
* NCEA: What Are The Major Types Of Elder Abuse? (Off Site)
* NCEA: State-By-State Listing of Statewide Toll-Free Telephone Numbers for Reporting/Receiving Domestic and Institutional Elder Abuse (NCEA) (Off Site)
* NCEA: Elder Abuse Publications (Off Site)
* NCEA: Elder Abuse Prevention Promising Practices Database (Off Site)
* NCEA: Upcoming Elder Abuse Conferences (Off Site)
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Last Updated 9/9/04
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