The Elder Abuse Policy Landscape in the United States

Abstract

AbstractElder abuse has been seen as a complex problem of potentially severe consequence to its victims for more than a half century. Therefore, not surprisingly, it is believed that only a multidisciplinary response is appropriate. The background and perspective of no single discipline or system alone seems sufficient. In the decades that followed initial problem recognition, elder abuse policy evolved, taking on the philosophies and approaches of the various disciplines or systems that assumed key roles in addressing the issue, namely social work, Aging Network, family violence programming, justice, and health care and promotion. This article, along with identifying and describing representative elder abuse policies, presents each of these disciplines or systems. Later two sets of policy recommendations are cited—National Policy Summit on Elder Abuse and Elder Justice Roadmap—that have been instrumental in providing elder abuse policy direction since 2000. Finally, challenges and opportunities are listed for current and future policy efforts, followed by special notation on the necessity of securing adequate funding for effective policy implementation.