Newswise — About 1 in 10 of Americans ages 65 and older experience elder abuse, neglect or exploitation, according to the federal Administration for Community Living. Ahead of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor Colleen Galambos can discuss issues connected to the abuse, neglect or exploitation of older adults, as well as awareness and prevention efforts.
Galambos, a professor in UWM’s Helen Bader School of Social Welfare and the Helen Bader Endowed Chair in Applied Gerontology, says the prevalence of elder abuse is likely to rise given the aging of the U.S. population overall. She says that elder abuse can come in different forms, including physical and sexual abuse. Instances of exploitation includes scams to gain access to bank information or take money from older adults.
Neglect may involve someone who is not getting enough food, water or access to essential health care. Hoarding is considered a form of self-neglect. Hoarding is defined as a compulsion to accumulate items that might often be considered useless or worthless by others, accompanied by an inability to discard the items without distress
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