The Rise of Elder Abuse

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Within the next 20 years the population of older adults will likely outnumber the population of children in this country. The combination of this swiftly increasing population and the latest assessments of the increasing rate of established cases of elder abuse suggest that the issue of elder abuse will continue to grow without significant means for deterrence and intermediation. Due to age-related declines in cognitive functioning and other vulnerabilities such as difficulties with mobility, isolation, medication, and dependence, older adults are uniquely attractive to criminal predators (Lindberg, Sabatino, & Blancato, 2011). Elder financial exploitation is an especially cumbersome matter to address because of difficulties in identifying complex financial transactions as unauthorized (Greenlee, 2012). According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute (2011) the estimated national cost of financial exploitation of older adults was around $2.9 billion in 2009. Additionally, there are many forensic challenges to identifying and prosecuting cases of elder abuse or neglect in terms of mental and physical competence and the ability to give consent (Greenlee, 2012). There are insufficient programs to address the distinct problems of older victims and essentially “Elder abuse is robbing older adults of their safety, their health, and their financial resources” (Greenlee, 2012, p. 7). There are currently two important pieces of legislation that address elder abuse issues. The Older Americans Act must submit to a reauthorization process every five years. Throughout the years there have been many adaptations to the act. Presently, there are four sections that apply to elder abuse primarily in the form of research processes, grant eligibili... ... middle of paper ... ...rican Geriatrics Society, 60(11), 2151-2156. Doi:10.111/j.1532-5415.2012.04211x Greenlee, K. (2012). Take a Stand Against Elder Abuse. Generations, 36(3), 6-8. Kohl, H., Sanders, B., & Blumenthal, R. (2012). Elder Abuse: What is the Federal Role?. Generations, 36(3), 106110. Lindberg, B. W., Sabatino, C. P., & Blancato, R. B. (2011). Bringing National Action to a National Disgrace: The History of the Elder Justice Act. NAELA Journal, 7(1), 105-124. Retrieved from http://proxy.kennesaw.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login. aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=60268165&site=ehost-live&scope=site Mature Market Institute. (2011). The MetLife Study of Elder Financial Abuse: Crimes of Occasion, Desperation and Predation Against America’s Elders. Retrieved December 9, 2013 from https://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2011/mmi-elder-financial-abuse.pdf

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