Estimates for the frequency of elder abuse in the general population range from 2 percent to 10 percent as the number of elders (generally defined for research purposes as people over 65) who suffer some form of elder abuse says Los Angeles Elder Abuse Attorney Steven C. Peck.
Elder Abuse is Underreported
The variance of those figures depends to a large extent on how information is gathered and measured, but one point of agreement among most researchers is that elder abuse is significantly underreported.
For every case of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation or self-neglect that is reported to authorities, about five more go unreported, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.
Incidence of Elder Abuse Could Be Much Higher
Yet, even that startling figure may be low. Other sources place the ratio of unreported to reported elder-abuse cases as high as 14-to-1 for elder abuse in domestic settings, excluding self-neglect, and 25-to-1 for cases of elder abuse defined as financial exploitation.
Aging Population Expected to Increase Risk of Elder Abuse
A 2008 study sponsored by the British Geriatrics Society concluded that one in four vulnerable elders are at risk of abuse, and only a small proportion of the abuse is detected. As the population ages, and the number of people over age 65 worldwide continues to grow, the incidence of elder abuse is expected to increase.
Contact Steven Peck's Premier Legal toll free at 1.866.999.9085 to talk to an experienced Elder Abuse Attorney and visit us on-line at www.premierlegal.org.
