Elder Abuse - Know Your Rights

Every person-every man, woman, and child-deserves to be treated with respect and with caring.

Every person-no matter how young or how old-deserves to be safe from harm by those who live with them, care for them, or come in day-to-day contact with them.
Older people today are more visible, more active, and more independent than ever before. They are living longer and in better health. But as the population of older Americans grows, so does the hidden problem of elder abuse, exploitation, and neglect.

Every year an estimated 2.1 million older Americans are victims of physical, psychological, or other forms of abuse and neglect. Those statistics may not tell the whole story. For every case of elder abuse and neglect that is reported to authorities, experts estimate that there may be as many as five cases that have not been reported. Recent research suggests that elders who have been abused tend to die earlier than those who are not abused, even in the absence of chronic conditions or life threatening disease.


Most elder abuse and neglect takes place at home. The great majority of older people live on their own or with their spouses, children, siblings, or other relatives-not in institutional settings. When elder abuse happens, family, other household members, and paid caregivers usually are the abusers. Although there are extreme cases of elder abuse, often the abuse is subtle, and the distinction between normal interpersonal stress and abuse is not always easy to discern.

Elder abuse, like other forms of violence, is never an acceptable response to any problem or situation, however stressful. (my emphasis)Effective interventions can prevent or stop elder abuse. By increasing awareness among physicians, mental health professionals, home health care workers, and others who provide services to the elderly and family members, patterns of abuse or neglect can be broken, and both the abused person and the abuser can receive needed help.

Source: American Psychological Association

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Researches around the world has echoed the same thing. The majority of elder abuse cases are in private homes. Only 1 in 5 are reported. Often the victims of elder abuse are reluctant to report for fear of "withdrawal of help or affection" from the abusers.

If you think you or someone else has been abused please check out sidebar links here to get more information about where and how you can get help.
Do not put up with abuses. You have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.