studies indicated that in 1996, nearly 450,000 adults
aged 65 and over were abused and/or neglected in
domestic settings, and in 2003, the Long Term Care
Ombudsmen programs reported 20,673 complaints
from institutional residents. A survey of State Adult
Protective Services (the agencies responsible for col-
lecting and investigating reports of elder abuse) by the
Administration on Aging, in 2004, found an increase
of 19.7% in reports from 2000 to 2004 and an increase
of 15.6% in substantiated cases. In considering these
data, it should be remembered that the population
of elders and of vulnerable elders is increasing.
Furthermore, improvements in reporting and investi-
gating may also underlie some of the increase in the
number of cases reported and certainly in the substan-
tiation of those cases. As evidence for this, states with
mandatory reporting and tracking have higher rates of
investigation.Profiles of Victims
and Perpetrators
Research has examined both who is most likely to be
abused or neglected and who is most likely to perpetrate
these crimes. The median age of abuse victims in 1996
was 77.9. In 2004, more than two in five of the cases
reported involved elders aged 80 or over. In 1996, 66.4%
of the victims of domestic elder abuse were White,
while 18.7% were Black; Hispanic elders accounted for
10% of the domestic elder abuse cases. Minority elders
may be even less likely than majority elders to report
abuse, for doing so would bring shame on the family.
Men and women are equally likely to be abused; men
may be more likely to be victims of self-neglect. Elder
abuse is more likely in situations where the husband has
a lower level of education (wife’s education does not
seem to play a role), when family income is low, when
depression is present, and when abuse occurred earlier
in the household. Again, reporting problems hamper
accurate data.
Perpetrators of abuse and neglect are most often
children of the victim (32.6%), followed by other
family members (21.5%), and then spouses and inti-
mate partners (11.3%). Early data indicated that men
were more likely to be abusers, but more recent
research suggests that both men and women are
equally likely to perpetrate elder abuse and neglect
crimes. This may be a reflection of better reporting,
better definitions, or both. Furthermore, earlier studies
focused primarily on physical and sexual abuse. Morerecent data on the abuser may reflect the incorporation
of emotional and financial abuse and neglect.
Research has yet to clarify the profile of perpetrators
based on type of abuse.Prevention and Treatment
Approaches
In addition to profiling victims and abusers, a signifi-
cant proportion of the research has focused on identi-
fying best practices to improve programs and services
for victims, help prevent abuse and neglect, and
inform policy and law. State adult protective services
are charged with screening and investigating reports
and coordinating with local service providers to care
for victims and with the local police to detain perpe-
trators. Research on the benefits of collaborative
approaches has shown that elder victims are cared for
more quickly and efficiently, and prevention of recur-
rence of abuse is greater over the long term when mul-
tiple agencies work in partnership. The greatest
potential benefit, however, is in the detection and pre-
vention of abuse. Several models have been suggested
and some efficacy data have emerged suggesting that
a multi-agency, interdisciplinary approach in each
community has the potential to greatly reduce the
incidence of elder abuse. Much more evaluation
research is needed to identify the critical components
of collaborative programs.
Finally, with regard to prevention, several experts
in the field have implicated the widespread ageism
present in society that allows elder abuse and neglect
to flourish. Studies have shown that the same services
available for victims of child or domestic abuse (e.g.,
foster homes, women’s shelters) are not available for
elders. Funds devoted to prevention and treatment of
elder abuse are significantly less than that devoted to
other types of crimes. Even the paucity of law on the
federal level and the inconsistency of state laws
(although all 50 states and most territories do have
laws regarding elder abuse) are indicative of the poor
view of elders. There is substantial literature on the
negative view of elders in society and the potential
for maltreatment as a result of these stereotypes.
Specific to elder abuse is the literature on perception
of abuse. One example is a study that presented six
different scenarios to college students and asked them
to rate whether abuse was present in the scenario,
whether the caregiver or the older adult was the
abuser, and how justified the abuse was. Scenarios250 ———Elder AbuseE-Cutler (Encyc)-45463.qxd 11/18/2007 12:42 PM Page 250