Elder AbuseIntroduction Though numbers vary according to differing state definitions and methods of data collection, experts estimate that between 1 million and 2.5 million elders are abused, neglected or exploited annually in the U.S. If that prevalence continues, by 2030 more than 5 million elders will be abused each year. One are of abuse that is often forgotten when discussion older people is domestic violence. This is a specific form of elder abuse that is committed by an intimate partner or family member. Since both victim and attacker are frequently elderly, law enforcement may not recognize that older people are capable of inflicting serious harm. Criminal justice personnel may attribute an elder’s injury or broken bones to an accident, disorientation or osteoporosis. Though the incidence of domestic violence among elders is less than in younger groups, it can and does occur. The justice system must understand this. By receiving comprehensive training, justice professionals can enhance their knowledge of domestic violence and abuse of elders. Such knowledge will help them to recognize, charge and prepare these cases for prosecution. They will also be better prepared to respond in ways that will safeguard and support the victims of these crimes, while holding the offenders accountable. The CAD has conducted a number of education programs on elder abuse. In 1995, the CAD entered the criminal justice arena with the creation of its first training workshop for law enforcement, Elder Issues for Law Enforcement. Since that time the CAD has conducted dozens of workshops on elder abuse for criminal justice professionals, and participated in a number of regional and national conferences. Following are some of these audiences, sponsors and venues:
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Participants included: victim assistants; sheriffs, police chiefs, law enforcement officers and investigators; corrections officers; banking and finance investigators; judges and district attorneys.
Seeking Equality: Obtaining Justice Under the Law for People with Developmental Disabilities - A Curriculum for Professionals in the Criminal Justice System. Between 2002-04, the CAD conducted the Take a Closer Look Project. It entailed developing a curriculum and training professionals in the criminal and civil court systems on recognizing and responding to victims of elder abuse. Domestic Abuse in Later Life Two studies found that the majority of abusers among older adults were spouses or intimate partners; in one study 58% of perpetrators were spouses. A study of elder sexual abuse found that 78% of suspected offenders were family members - 29% spouses and 39% adult sons. Domestic violence can happen over the entire course of a relation, sporadically, or first start in mid-life or old age. Divorce is less common among older couples than in other age groups. Older women may experience physical or se axal violence at the hands of other, more powerful family member, such as sons, and the dynamics in these situation are quite similar to partner abuse. Recent Elder Abuse Activities
Links from the Alliance for Aging website:
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