Elder Abuse: A Need for Heightened Vigilance

By John Greer Clark and Kris English

This article is a part of the November/December, Volume 34, Number 6, Audiology Today issue.

According to the World Health Organization (2022), 1 in 6 people aged ≥60 years experience abuse of one kind or another. The National Council on Aging (2021) places this figure somewhat lower in the United States at 1 of every 10 people aged ≥60 years, with as many as one-third of family caregivers reporting that they have been involved in significant abuse (Cooper et al, 2008).

Portions of this article are excerpted from the ABA Tier 1 “Counseling-Infused Audiologic Care.” See CEU offering at www.audiology.org/education-and-events/eaudiology-online-learning/counseling-infused-audiologic-care-ceu-program.

The National Center on Elder Abuse (2022) defines elder abuse as “any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult.” The United Nations (2020) has warned of possible increases in elder abuse during protracted health crises. Consistent with this warning, Chang and Levy (2021) reported an 83.6 percent increase in the prevalence of elder abuse among survey respondents during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic compared with earlier prevalence estimates. 

The problem may be even more significant than any estimates suggest as barriers exist for both detection and reporting of elder abuse (Dong, 2015; Schmeidel et al, 2012). Clearly, physical, verbal, sexual, emotional, and financial abuse and passive neglect, confinement, or willful deprivation are experiences more common within the older population than generally recognized.