Several years ago I listened to an interview with an older, abused woman who had filed for divorce. She had been a stay-at-home mom, and had no resources of her own. Her husband, not wanting to lose his power over her, played the part of the innocent "Mr. Nice Guy" in court. The judge refused to believe the woman and did not grant the divorce. At the end of the interview the woman said, "The only choice I have is to go back to him unless I want to become a bag lady."
In another case study, Mrs. L., who is 80 years old, has some health problems and trouble getting around. Susan, 54, came to live with her. Things were going well until Susan lost her job. She started drinking excessively and spent hours in front of the TV. This angered Mrs. L. and led to arguments between them. Recently, the arguments have been getting physical. Mrs. L. discovered that Susan has been taking large sums of money out of their joint account. Mrs. L. is upset and frightened that confronting Susan will make her angrier.
The case study of Mr. and Mrs. P. revealed that they used their savings to buy a duplex 10 years ago, with an apartment for them and one for their married daughter, Sarah, and her family. Relations were amicable until Mr. P. died about two years ago. Mrs. P. is now 75, with a heart condition. Since Mr. P.'s death, Sarah has been going out a great deal and leaving the care of the children and the housework to Mrs. P. She also insisted that Mrs. P. begin paying rent and buying gifts for the children. When Mrs. P. objected, Sarah instructed the children not to speak to her, and Mrs. P. was ignored for a week. Mrs. P. is unhappy with her treatment, but fears rejection and abandonment if she does not comply.
A Serious Problem
Abuse of the elderly through neglect, exploitation, abandonment, physical mistreatment or other means, is difficult to define. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), broadly-defined elder abuse falls into three basic categories: domestic, institutional, and self-neglect or abuse.
Sally Steiner, senior policy specialist with the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, notes that state laws vary widely in definitions of elder abuse and what is to be reported. Current estimates are that between 1.5 and 2 million older adults are abused annually, with only one in 10 to one in 14 cases being reported to a public agency.
According to the NCEA, from 1986 to 1996, domestic elder abuse increased nationwide from 117,000 reports to 293,000 reports — an increase of 150 percent. Given the prediction that the number of people over age 65 will double by 2030, it is imperative that something be done now.
According to 1996 data, the average age of victims of domestic elder abuse is 77.9 years, with the majority of victims being female (67.3 percent). However, the perpetrators are almost evenly divided between males and females, with adult children being listed as the most frequent abusers (NCEA website). Clearly, elder abuse is a far more serious problem than most people realize.