Extent of Elder Abuse Victimization

NIJ funded the National Elder Mistreatment Study, which provides the following statistics on the prevalence of elder mistreatment victimization:

• Eleven percent of elders reported experiencing at least one form of mistreatment — emotional, physical, sexual or potential neglect — in the past year.
• Past-year prevalence was 5.1 percent for emotional mistreatment, 1.6 percent for physical mistreatment, 0.6 percent for sexual mistreatment and 5.1 percent for potential neglect.
• Financial exploitation by a family member in the past year was reported by 5.2 percent of elders.
• The risk of elder mistreatment is higher for individuals with the following characteristics: low household income, unemployed or retired, reporting poor health, having experienced a prior traumatic event or reporting low levels of social support.