Statistics show that in general people are living longer. With this longevity comes the increased likelihood of victimization at some point in the life course. Many seniors are fearful that they will be victimized as they age even though the crime victimization rate for seniors has continued to decline over the years. The elderly as a group are the least likely of all age categories to experience crime. Still, the elderly are vulnerable to certain types of crimes. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, the most common types of crimes committed against seniors are (1) financial crime, (2) property crime, (3) violent crime, and (4) elderly abuse/ mistreatment.
Concern about the victimization of elderly persons increased in the early 1980s after British medical researchers drew attention to a phenomenon they called “granny battering.” Eventually, the granny battering term was replaced with less offensive concepts such as elder mistreatment and elder abuse. Elder mistreatment is a broader concept used to characterize a range of violations against elderly persons. The National Center on Elder Abuse cites six types of elder mistreatment: physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial exploitation, emotional/psychological abuse, neglect, and self-neglect. Although these forms of abuse are discussed separately below, they usually occur simultaneously or in some combination.
Physical abuse is likely the type of elder abuse that comes to mind when people use the phrase elder abuse. Examples include acts such as hitting, slapping, cutting, punching, or kicking an elderly person. Also included are instances in which elderly persons are overmedicated or undermedicated. Overmedication usually occurs because caregivers want to make their elderly care recipient passive and easy to manage. Undermedication generally occurs because caregivers are stealing drugs or money that would be used to purchase drugs.
Sexual abuse likely conjures up images of elderly individuals being forcibly raped. However, such acts make up only a very small proportion of the cases of elder sexual abuse. More common are instances of groping during bathing, voyeurism, obscene language, and other behaviors in which genital-genital contact does not occur. Studies using social services samples have found that family members are more likely to be the offenders in these cases, while those using self-report strategies have found that nonfamily members are more likely to be the offenders.
Financial exploitation occurs when individuals steal from elderly persons using any number of strategies. Examples range from instances when family members misuse an elderly person’s Social Security check to cases in which loved ones convince elderly persons to sign over their property. Power-of-attorney fraud (for example, signing an elderly person’s name for fraudulent purposes) is among the most popular types of elder financial exploitation. In such exploitation, individuals gain complete access to all of the elderly person’s assets once they are granted power of attorney. Unfortunately, some misuse this power. One problem that arises is proving that the actions were fraudulent.
Verbal and nonverbal acts that torment the senior, such as verbal abuse, rights violations, and harassment, are considered to be acts of emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is the most difficult form of elder abuse to prove and among the least reported forms of elder mistreatment. Neglect occurs when individuals fail to provide adequate care to the elderly care recipient. Experts distinguish between active and passive neglect. Active neglect refers to instances of intentional neglect, whereas passive neglect refers to instances when care providers unintentionally fail to provide care.
Self-neglect is perhaps the most controversial type of elder mistreatment. It refers to instances in which elderly persons fail to provide adequate care to themselves and adult protective services intervenes to provide or recommend improvements in care. Although self-neglect is arguably the most common form of elder mistreatment, it is also the least studied form of elder mistreatment.
Some researchers have focused specifically on types of elder abuse occurring in nursing homes or other long-term care settings. These forms of abuse include the same forms noted earlier, but also include a form called duty-related abuse. Duty-related abuse refers to instances in which a worker’s failure to perform a particular job-related duty ultimately results in harm to the elderly person. Failing to report abuse, lifting residents without the help of coworkers, and ignoring the medical needs of residents are examples of duty-related abuse.
Estimates suggest that anywhere from five hundred thousand to two million elderly persons are victims of elder abuse each year. However, it is difficult to determine the true extent of elder abuse for a number of reasons. First, different states may define elderly in different ways. Some states define elderly as more than fifty years of age while other states use the age of 65. The way a state defines elderly in its elder abuse legislation will influence official estimates about the extent of elder abuse.
Second, victims may not report instances of abuse for a number of reasons. Some may be afraid of repercussions for reporting abuse. Concerns about being placed in a long-term care setting inhibit community-residing residents from reporting abuse, and fear of increased abuse by caregivers keeps many nursing home residents from notifying authorities. Also, some elderly victims may be cognitively unable to report abuse.
Third, the failure of authorities to recognize elder abuse and set into motion a response system has made it difficult to determine the extent of abuse. In some cases, failure to report is intentional and stems from a culture of silence that exists in families and the health care field. In other cases, the failure to report is unintentional and stems from the lack of understanding about risk factors and causes of elder abuse among practitioners and policy makers. Indeed, not knowing what to watch for allows cases of elder abuse to go unnoticed. The importance of understanding the causes and risk factors of elder abuse goes beyond the need to identify and intervene in elder abuse cases. In fact, understanding the risk factors and causes of elder abuse potentially sheds light on effective prevention strategies.
Crime prevention strategies have been developed that focus primarily on educating the elderly. The best defense against any type of crime is an awareness of the crime with some commonsense ways to avoid certain behaviors that make one more vulnerable to victimization. Many senior organizations such as AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) or NCPEA (National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) provide elaborate websites with lists of publications and other resources to provide information to seniors about how to avoid becoming a victim of crime, and also to explain how to report being a victim of crime with clear and detailed information about what to do to overcome the victimization. Workshops and presentations are given to seniors in local community settings such as senior centers, club houses, and so forth. These presentations focus on senior victimization and how to avoid it. These educational programs usually focus on financial crimes with some consideration given to personal crimes, such as violent crimes. Most programs spend a great deal of time talking about fraud. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to acts of deception (for example, fraud) resulting in financial loss for the victim. Generally, the types of fraud discussed include home/ auto repairs, overseas investments, lottery winnings, and work-at-home schemes. The elderly are especially vulnerable to telemarketing scams because this group often is the sole target of such fraud. The first line of defense to prevent these types of crime is to question the proposal—and if “it sounds too good to be true,” it probably is too good, meaning that the senior should be very suspicious of the offer. Anytime money must to be exchanged to get the ”big winnings” or prize package, often, fraud is involved.
Law enforcement agencies often have Senior Victim Assistance Units or some similarly named units that deal specifically with elderly crime victims. Often volunteers work in these units to assist victims. The units serve as advocates for victims over a certain age, usually fifty-five or above. Police departments that have such units often also have special training for the police officers that includes empathy training so that police officers can understand what seniors are experiencing in terms of the decline in their physical and mental abilities in an effort to help police be more sensitive and understanding when trying to assist senior crime victims. They are also trained on the warning signs of elder abuse including but not limited to new or unexplained bruises, broken bones, or other physical injuries; changes in routine activities, such as not participating in daily activities; quick financial hardships; and uncared for medical conditions.
In 2000 then-attorney general of the United States, Janet Reno, called for a justice system that responded in helpful ways to the aging population. She challenged police departments to work with other agencies to develop an inclusive, well-coordinated, and well-funded national plan to address elder abuse. To date, such a national plan is not in effect; however, more national level organizations are working with local and regional police departments to ensure the aggressive prosecution of crimes against the elderly, and to provide crime prevention awareness programs to educate seniors about how to avoid becoming a victim of crime.
