Elder abuse – the silent crime of a generation

June 15 is World Elder Abuse Prevention Day

By J. LESLIE RISEDEN Special Contributor to The Pittsburg Gazette

One would think that as Elder Abuse Awareness Day approaches, there would be more calls to aid our senior citizens, especially those who might be particularly vulnerable, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens. Instead, we are more likely to hear about the grandmother who fought off a mugger. Surprisingly, most estimates place elder abuse at more than one in every 10 elders; however, it is estimated for every case that is reported, another 22 go unreported. Crimes against the elderly take the form of neglect, physical abuse, financial exploitation and sexual abuse, in that order. For some reason, people do not seem to want to talk about these issues. But, AMAC says, “we must bring this disgraceful crime wave out into the open if we, as a nation, hope to stem the tide.” Experts from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services have reported that knowledge about elder abuse lags as much as two decades behind the fields of child abuse and domestic violence. The need for more research is urgent and it is an area that calls out for a coordinated, systematic approach that includes policy-makers, researchers and funders.

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