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Elder Abuse and Neglect Cases Soaring Nationwide

January 15, 2019 in News

In the recent years, solitude has become a major threat for senior citizens that are living at home across the USA. Singer (2018) states. “state-based adult protective services (APS) agencies completed more than 713,000 investigations in fiscal year 2017. The agencies identified nearly 235,000 victims of abuse, including the self-neglect cases. About 10 percent of the total abuse victims counted were under age 50, because some states include abuse or neglect of younger adults with disabilities.”

Elder abuse can range anywhere from physical or sexual assault against vulnerable seniors to even financial scams or abandonment/neglect by caregivers. The most common threat for seniors is self-neglect: an elderly person unable to provide for their own clothing, shelter, food, medication or other basic needs, and having no one to provide care for them. This issue has been rapidly growing as the population ages.

Elder abuse is often referred to as a silent issue. Over the past several years, the Administration for Community Living has embarked on a voluntary effort with the cooperation of state APS agencies to compile a national database of abuse of seniors that are living at home. Abuse in nursing homes or other settings usually are managed by other agencies and are counted separately.

Although the recent data collected contains gaps and aberrations, it is clear that the number of abuse and neglect cases is soaring nationwide.

At the Elder Law Center we can help elders, disabled individuals, and their families with these legal issues and more.

To view the full article, visit: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/11/27/elderly-abuse-neglect-federal-government-statistics/2113361002/

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