Analysis of Elder Abuse Statutes Across the United States, 2011–2012

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe the state elder abuse statutes in the United States and Washington DC during 2011-2012. The last review of elder abuse statutes occurred in 2001; thus, a reexamination is warranted given the increased awareness of elder abuse at the state and national level and the growing number of older adults in the United States. This descriptive study analyzed the following components of elder or dependent abuse statutes: definitions, reporting requirements, training, and consequences for failure to report. It was determined that differences remain in how states respond to elder abuse at the community-based level.

The shifting conceptualization of elder abuse in the United States: from social services, to criminal justice, and beyond

“…As child abuse already had a conceptual framework that was similar to that of elder abuse, state policy makers simply crafted elder abuse protective services statutes after child protective services statutes (Glick, 2005;Hafemeister, 2010), in some states literally restating the problem from "adults in need of protective services" to "victims of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation" (Kohn, 2009). Thus, during the 1980s protective services units became adult protective services units as they are widely known today (for statutory reviews, see Jirik and Sanders, 2014;Jackson, 2015). In addition, due to the perceived success of child abuse mandatory reporting laws (Hafemeister, 2010), and in anticipation of federal funding, states began passing elder abuse mandatory reporting laws crafted after child abuse mandatory reporting laws (Kohn, 2009), a policy that remains controversial to this day (Glick, 2005).…”

Análise do tema violência nas políticas de cuidado de longa duração ao idoso

“…Jirik and Sanders 21 argue that there are gaps on the issue of violence in policy, research and education/training components in the U.S., and stress the need to revise definitions, reporting requirements, education and training to address violence in American statutes of elder abuse.…”

Recognizing the Trauma Experienced by Community-Dwelling Older Victims of Financial Abuse Perpetrated by Trusted Others

“…The designated authority in each state to receive reports of financial exploitation (and elder abuse) is Adult Protective Services (APS). Typically found in a state's civil code, aspects of elder abuse vary widely among states (Jirik and Sanders 2014). For example, states vary in how they define a victim: (1) victim age (e.g., 65 years of age), (2) victim vulnerability, or (3) victim age and vulnerability.…”