Crimes Against The Elderly Articles
Many older adults require care and are vulnerable to violence perpetrated by a caregiver or someone they trust. More research is needed to uncover the causes for, and solutions to, violence against older adults. What is older person abuse?
Aging populations face abuse in many forms, and the search for data-driven solutions has lagged. New NIJ-backed projects offer answers derived from other research areas. Elder abuse is a silent problem that robs seniors of their dignity, security, and can cost lives.
Get the facts and learn how we are keeping seniors safe. The federal government, states, commonwealths, territories and the District of Columbia all have laws designed to protect older adults from elder abuse and guide the practice of adult protective services agencies, law enforcement agencies, and others. Many states have enacted special laws or harsher penalties for crimes committed against elderly victims.
The abuse of the elderly runs the gamut from financial scams and physical neglect to serious assaults and sexual abuse. Both criminal and civil laws aim to protect elderly adults from abuse. Mistreatment is multifaceted, and modern crimes also include sophisticated cyber financial exploitation.
Elder mistreatment prevention should have a goal of interrupting violence, neglect, and exploitation, preferably before it causes harm. Older adults are being mistreated in multiple settings (homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities) by family members, friends and neighbors, professionals, and strangers. The EJI provides several scenarios and red flags to help the public understand the five types of abuse.
What follows is a description of the current scope of the problem of crimes committed against older adults, a brief review of the history, and the current status of the criminalization of offenses against older adults. Rates of abuse of older people have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abuse of older people can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences.
Abuse of older people is predicted to increase as many countries are experiencing rapidly ageing populations. Future research on domestic abuse against older adults is urgently needed, and whilst this requires specific focus, there is also a need to include older adults and their perpetrators in broader domestic abuse research and theory, bringing them from the margins into the mainstream.
