Statistics on Elder Abuse
Most people do not realize how common it is for elderly abuse to take place. The truth is, it is something that happens to our loved ones on a daily basis. The abuser may be anyone that the elderly person trusts to take care of them and most often, it is family that does the abusing. For that reason, here are some statistics on elder abuse so that you can help to make it stop.
Yearly Abuse Cases
It is statistically possible for as many as 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 60 to experience some form of elder abuse before they have lived out their lives. This means that it is possible that as many as five million of our loved ones are abused each year worldwide. With the frequency of it happening, it may also surprise you to know that only about 1 out of 14 cases of elderly abuse are actually reported to the proper authorities.
Who Does the Abusing?
An abuser may be a man or a woman. Most often, they are simply someone who has gained the elderly person’s trust. This is why there are approximately 60% of abuse instances that occurred by family members. Most often, about two thirds of the time, it is a spouse or the elder’s children, but it may be any person who is in their immediate family, including siblings, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and more.
Elder Abuse Risk Factors
If an elderly person does not have a lot of friends or family coming by to visit with them, they are more likely to become a victim, but the biggest risk factor is mental impairments. If the elderly person has any type of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, their chances of being abused increases to more than half of all elderly abuse situations. The truth is, any type of disability, physical or mental, may increase the risk for your elderly loved one to suffer abuse, especially neglect or financial abuse types.