ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this chapter and corresponding reference material, the reader will be able to
• List characteristics of potential abusers of the elderly • Describe the potential victim of elder abuse • Discuss five types of elder abuse • Differentiate between signs of abuse and signs of neglect • Evaluate the death investigation of an elderly person
Awareness of the problem concerning elder abuse and the limited response to it are relatively recent. In 1980, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging estimated the incidence at 500,000-2,500,000 occurrences per year. It is estimated that only one in six cases is actually reported.
