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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.
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