Caregiver Financial Exploitation of Elderly Persons with Disabilities

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

Financial abuse is the fastest growing abuse among the elderly population and this type of abuse are often times carried out by family members (Gibson & Qualls, 2012).The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study conducted several years ago was the first major investigation of mistreatment of the elderly in the United States. Results from the study indicated that a total of 449, 924 person aged 60 and over had been abused or neglected in some way in 1996 from data obtained from Adult Protective Service Records (Acierno, Hernandez, Amstadter, Reznick, Muzzy & Kilpatrick, 2010). Many cases of abuse and neglect of older Americans go undetected by monitoring agents as these cases are unreported. Furthermore, the likelihood of elder abuse increases when the person has a disability or cognitive impairment or is dependent. The role of adult protective services agencies is to enforce laws protecting elder abuse, responding and investigating to reports. Dessin (2000) express that all states have an adult protective law and ways of providing assistance though their processes may not be the same. This presentation serves to explore the prevalence and correlates of financial abuse for the elderly with disabilities and the legalities associated with this form of abuse.

Authors

• Lisa Dunkley, University of Kentucky

• Charlene Harris, SUNY - Oswego