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Report Elder Abuse

If you suspect elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation, visit the National Center on Elder Abuse's State Elder Abuse Helplines and Hotlines Web page to find out where to report it Exit Notice.

In an emergency, call 911 or local police.

Elder Abuse: Research Agenda

To assist the field in responding to current and emerging needs of older Americans, NIJ has established a research program focusing on elder mistreatment. Key research priorities are:
  • Identifying and evaluating forensic markers of physical and sexual abuse and neglect among the elderly. See Potential Markers to Identify Elder Mistreatment.
  • Evaluating programs designed to detect, prevent, investigate, prosecute, or otherwise redress elder mistreatment.
  • Examining risk and protective factors associated with elder mistreatment in both institutional and community settings.
  • Exploring the nature, incidence, and prevalence of elder mistreatment and establishing uniform definitions and measures.
  • Evaluating a coordinated community response to elder mistreatment.

For more information about NIJ's research on elder abuse, see NIJ's Compendium of Research on Violence Against Women, 1993–2006 (pdf, 170 pages).

Go to Elder Abuse as a Criminal Problem