Abuse in later life, a subset of elder abuse, is the willful abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of an adult age 50 or older that is committed by someone in an ongoing relationship with the victim, such as intimate partners, adult children, grandchildren, or other family members, caregivers, or persons in positions of authority.
While abuse in later life can take place in any setting, such as a nursing home, doctor's office, or adult day facility, it most often occurs in the victim's home.
Statistics
Every year an estimated 5 million, or 1 in 10, older Americans are victims of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Experts believe that for every case of elder abuse or neglect reported, as many as 24 cases go unreported. In the City of Charleston, this means as many as 3,500 of our family members and neighbors are being abused or neglected, and less than 100 of these cases are being reported.
Project Support
This project was supported by Grant Number 2016-EW-AX-K007 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.