Understanding the Nature and Scope of Domestic Elder Abuse with the Use of State Aggregate Data:

Abstract

This study summarizes the major findings of a survey of the state adult protective service (APS) agencies and state units on aging concerning domestic elder abuse reports, conducted by the National Aging Resource Center on Elder Abuse (NARCEA) in the fall of 1991. Data on reports of domestic elder maltreatment supplied by states were aggregated and analyzed, and descriptive summaries of key data items were prepared. In addition, using some of the statistics gathered by the survey and existing relevant information, an attempt was made to determine the national incidence of domestic elder abuse, the preliminary results of which are presented here.