Elder Abuse (Print Version)

Elder abuse is doing something or failing to do something that results in harm to an elderly person or puts a helpless older person at risk of harm. This includes

Physical, sexual and emotional abuse
Neglecting or deserting an older person you are responsible for
Taking or misusing an elderly person's money or property

Elder abuse can happen within the family. It can also happen in settings such as hospitals or nursing homes or in the community. Elder abuse is a serious problem in this country. All 50 states have laws against elder abuse. The laws differ, but all states have systems for reporting suspected abuse.

Start Here

Elder Abuse and Neglect: In Search of Solutions(American Psychological Association) - http://www.apa.org/pi/aging/eldabuse.html
Elder Mistreatment(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=9
Fifteen Questions and Answers about Elder Abuse(National Center on Elder Abuse) - Links to PDF - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/pdf/publication/FINAL%206-06-05%203-18-0512-10-04qa.pdf

Overviews

Elder Abuse(Administration on Aging) - http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov/eldfam/Elder_Rights/Elder_Abuse/Elder_Abuse.aspx
Elder Abuse: Signs to Look for, Action to Take(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/elder-abuse/HA00041/METHOD=print

Latest News

13% of Seniors Report Being Mistreated(08/28/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68673.html

Prevention/Screening

Preventing Elder Abuse by Family Caregivers(National Center on Elder Abuse) - Large PDF file - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/pdf/family/caregiver.pdf
Role of Professionals and Concerned Citizens(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/professionals/professional.html

Specific Conditions

Financial Abuse(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/elderabuse/fin_abuse.html
Neglect and Self-Neglect(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/elderabuse/neglect.html
Physical Abuse(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/elderabuse/physical.html
Psychological Abuse(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/elderabuse/psychological.html
Sexual Abuse(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/elderabuse/s_abuse.html

Related Issues

Adult Protective Services(National Center on Elder Abuse) - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/Find_Help/APS/About_APS.aspx
Elder Abuse and Substance Abuse(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/issues/substance.html
Role of Culture in Elder Abuse(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/issues/culture.html
What Services Are Available to Stop Abuse?(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/help/available.html
Where to Report Nursing Home Abuse(National Center on Elder Abuse) - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/FAQ/Nursing_Home_Abuse/Report_Abuse.aspx

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Spouse Abuse(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Spouse+Abuse%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Violence(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Violence%22

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: A social capital approach to the prevention of elder mistreatment. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18551904&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Chemical restraint in nursing older people. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18500132&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: The prevalence of elder abuse and neglect: a systematic review. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18349012&tool=MedlinePlus
Elder Abuse -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=elder+abuse[mh]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+systematic[sb]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+guideline[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Directories

Elder Abuse Helplines and Hotlines by State(National Center on Elder Abuse) - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/Find_Help/Help_Hotline.aspx
Legal Hotlines for Older Americans(Administration on Aging) - http://www.aoa.gov/eldfam/elder_rights/legal_assistance/legal_hotline.aspx

Organizations

Administration on Aging - http://www.aoa.gov/
National Center on Elder Abuse - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/
National Institute on Aging - http://www.nia.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/Espanol/

Newsletters/Print Publications

NCEA Newsletter(National Center on Elder Abuse) - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/Resources/Newsletter/Newsletter_Archive.aspx

Law and Policy

Mental Capacity, Consent, and Undue Influence(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/issues/capacity.html
Older Americans Act: Title VII, Vulnerable Elder Rights Protection, and Title II, Elder Abuse Prevention and Services(National Center on Elder Abuse) - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/Library/Laws/Older_Americans_Act.aspx
Restitution(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/issues/restitution.html
What Should I Do If Someone I Know Is Being Abused?(National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) - http://www.preventelderabuse.org/help/should_ido.html

Statistics

2004 Survey of Adult Protective Services: Abuse of Adults 60 Years of Age and Older(National Center on Elder Abuse) - Large PDF file - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/pdf/2-14-06%20FINAL%2060+REPORT.pdf

Women

Domestic Violence: Older Women Can Be Victims Too(National Center on Elder Abuse) - Links to PDF - http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/pdf/publication/OLDERWOMEN2-COLUMNFINAL10-11-05.pdf

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Domestic Violence - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/domesticviolence.html
Injuries and Wounds - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/injuriesandwounds.html
Seniors - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniors.html
Social/Family Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/socialfamilyissues.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Elder Abuse is the National Institute on Aging - http://www.nia.nih.gov/