An estimated one in 10 adults older than 60 are abused every year, according to the National Institute of Justice. The grim truth is most of the perpetrators are family or friends of the victim.
"It's usually someone who is taking advantage of the trust and also taking advantage of the vulnerabilities," California Elder Law Attorney Steven Peck says. "Preying on someone's financial situation."
While statistics aren't always available at the local level, that doesn't mean it's not an issue.
"The one thing you don't want to do is put your head in the sand and pretend this thing doesn't exist, because this is happening all across the country," according to Peck, a Los Angeles area elder abuse attorney with offices in Van Nuys, California who may be contacted toll free at 1.866.999.9085.
Many older adults are afraid to report abuse, They might be reliant on the perpetrator for their independence, or they might just not know who to tell.
"We're always hoping we can connect with seniors to tell them there are resources here for them." says Peck.
Even when elder abuse cases are reported, they're often difficult to investigate. For example, if children are charged with taking care of their parent, it's common to share a bank account so the children can eventually make funeral arrangements.
Once that happens, the temptation grows to start taking money out for personal use, maybe even thinking of it as an early inheritance, which seems to be happening quite often in our society.
"It is difficult because you have to sort through those trust issues and get to the facts," Peck says. "You have to prove that these people are being taken advantage of."
The investigations can be time consuming, even when advocates help the victim.
"Like most of us, the elderly don't keep the best records, so pouring through records is really very difficult to do,".
But the very things that make uncovering elder abuse difficult makes it very important that it be reported and investigated.
