Whether we want to admit it or not, the incidence of elder abuse is on the rise. Negligent care and nursing home abuse has become a serious and widespread problem.

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ABUSE FACT SHEET

While facts can be taken out of context, they do provide an inciteful snapshot into the scope and severity of elder abuse and neglect. The following is a list of interesting facts dealing with the elder abuse.

• In 2001, 32% of the American population was 60 years or older.
• Well over 15,000 nursing homes exist in the U.S.
• From 1986 to 1994, the incidence of elder abuse doubled from 120,000 cases to over 240,000 cases per year.
• Elder abuse, defined by state law, is broken up into three categories, including institutional elder abuse, domestic abuse, and self-abuse.
• Almost one million senior citizens are victimized each year (including institutional elder abuse, domestic abuse, financial, and self abuse).
• The median age of elder abuse victims (excluding self-neglecting elders) in 1994 was 76.5 years.
• In almost 90% of the elder abuse and neglect incidents with a known perpetrator, the perpetrator is a family member, with two-thirds being adult children or spouses.
• Physical abuse is the second leading type of abuse.
• Persons, aged 80 years and older, suffered abuse and neglect two to three times their proportion of the older population
• Almost half of substantiated abused and neglected elderly were not physically able to care for themselves.
• General neglect is the most pervasive problem with institutional nursing home care.
• Perpetrators are often adult children serving as caregiver.
• Almost four times as many new incidents of abuse, neglect, or self-neglect were not reported as compared to those that were reported. (Adult Protective Services Agencies)
• In 1994, the median age of self-neglecting elders was 77.2 years.