Empowering Older Adults in the Fight Against Elder Abuse

By: Eugene Hsu, MD, MBA World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, observed on June 15, signifies our collective struggle against the mistreatment of older adults. Elder abuse is not only an individual problem; it’s a community and societal issue that reminds us to promote respect and dignity for older adults. Elder abuse refers to intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or a trusted individual that cause harm to an older adult. It can come in the form of physical, emotional, neglect, and financial mistreatment – the latter being the most prevalent and easily executed through scams or fraud targeted at older adults. It’s a critical public health issue that can cause significant physical and psychological harm to older adults. A significant step towards preventing this abuse is equipping older adults and their caregivers with knowledge and resources to help prevent abuse. The National Council on Aging estimates that approximately 5 million older adults are abused every year in the United States. This figure is both alarming and disheartening, considering it is said that only one in 14 cases is reported. Research findings estimate that older victims of financial fraud lose roughly $30 billion a year. For older adults, defending against...