The following are some of the cases of abuse against the elderly that have been in the news since December 1, 2008. In these cases, the abusers are both men and women, as are those who have been abused by them, though notably, the cases of abuse against women outnumber those against men by about 2:1 (according to a 2004 National Center of Elder Abuse Study, older women (67%) are far more likely than men (32%) to suffer from abuse and slightly more than half of the alleged perpetrators of elder abuse were female (53%). According to this fact sheet prepared by the National Centre on Elder Abuse (NCEA), between 1 and 2 million Americans aged 65 years or older have been injured, exploited or mistreated by someone they depend upon for care and protection. It is estimated that for every one case of abuse reported to authorities, about five more go unreported. One consistent finding, over a ten-year study period, is that reports have increased each year.
Have you seen the elderly people around you recently?
Port St. Lucie, Florida - A 65-year-old man faces charges of elder abuse after his emaciated 90-year-old mother was found wearing urine-soaked cloathing and sleeping on a waste-filled mattress. She had been wearing her shoes for so long, they had become attached to her feet. More here ...
Gainesville, Florida - A 49-year-old has been accused of stomping his 68-year-old mother while wearing work boots, breaking her foot and ankle, and then leaving her on the floor of home for two days without food or water. She was found by her two daughters and taken to a hospital. More here ...
Beaufort, North Carolina - The caregiver of an 80-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with leaving her lying on the floor of the bathroom in her own feces for more than an hour. She had fallen trying to get to the bathroom on her own because the caregiver had not come to assist her. More here ...
San Diego, California - A 34-year-old man is suspected of stealing thousands of dollars from a 92-year-old man he was hired to temporarily care for. More here ...
Visalia, California - A 62-year-old Visalia woman who took in a male relative on Christmas Day because she felt sorry for him spent the next week as his captive in her mobile home. He also beat her. More here ...
Richfield Springs, New York - The wife and two sons of an elderly man were charged with endangering his welfare after he was admitted to a local hospital with serious injuries. The three, aged 74, 47 and 41 respectively, were the man's caregivers. More here ...
Steger, Illinios - Authorities are investigating the death of an 86-year-old woman from severe deydration and multiple ulcers as a possible case of elder abuse. More here ...
Pittsburg, Kansas - Five Allegheny County employees were arrested and accused of assaulting and harrassing an 84-year-old woman with Alzheimer's at a county-run nursing home. One of the accused female caretakers has faced similar charges before. Full story here ...
Parkersburg - W.Virginia - A 74-year-old man with developmental disabilities died from malnourishment after the man hired to care for him moved him from his bedroom to the basement last year. The 48-year-old man has been charged with neglecting an incapacitated adult or elderly person. Full story here ...
Jackson, Mississippi - A 38-year-old female nursing home assistant has been charged with elder abuse in connection with the assault of elderly woman at a nursing home. More here ...
Talahassee, Florida - A 56-year-old male nursing assistant at a Veteran's Affairs Hospital has been charged with striking a 59-year-old male patient in the head two or three times and then tipping him out of his wheelchair. He later explained the incident by saying of the patient "He hit me and I just lost it." More here ...
Muskegon, Michigan - A 50-year-old male was charged with second-degree elder abuse after his 85-year-old mother was found on a couch covered in her feces and urine. More here ...
