The Problem

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Victims of adult abuse, neglect and financial exploitation include, among others:

• The frail elderly
• Adults with dementia
• Adults with developmental disability age 18 and older
• Adults with chronic or acute mental illness age 18 and older
• Adults with physical disability age 18 and older
• Adults with substance abuse age 18 and older

The Victims

Adult and elder abuse exists across all demographic and geographic boundaries. Victims of adult abuse include the frail elderly, the developmentally disabled, the mentally ill, the physically disabled, and substance abusers. Anyone can become a victim of abuse, regardless of age, gender, financial status, or background.

Adult abuse is often a "hidden" problem, partly because the victims fail to report abuse and mistreatment:

• Guilt, shame, and love prevent the abuse from being reported when the abuser is a friend or family member
• Fear of retaliation from the accused abuser
• Perceived lack of a safer alternative to the current living situation
• Impairments may make it impossible for the victim to seek help for themselves
• Victims may not know where or how to seek help, and are often isolated
• Victims fear the loss of a caregiver -- even an abusive one

The Number of APS Referrals

The number of referrals made to APS has increased significantly in recent years. In 2014, there were 44,367 APS referrals statewide, which is an increase of more that 77 percent since 1997.

Tip of the Iceberg

However, even with the increasing number of cases reported to APS, studies show that the number of cases reported are merely the "tip of the iceberg."

An OCFS-funded study, Under the Radar: New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study (2011), compared the number of elder abuse cases reported to APS, law enforcement and other authorities (the documented case study) with the number of cases reported by seniors in extensive interviews conducted by the researchers (the self-reported study). There was a dramatic gap between the two studies. In looking at all forms of abuse, researchers found that for every one case reported to APS or other authorities, there were 23.5 other cases that were not reported. The results were even more striking for financial exploitation (1:43.9) and neglect by others (1:57.2). The study estimated that 260,000 older adults in New York State had been the victim of at least one form of elder abuse in the preceding year.

Review of Recent APS Data

A review of recent APS data shows:

• More than 60 percent of APS referrals are for persons age 60 and older.
• Just under 40 percent of APS referrals are for persons age 18 to 59.
• Approximately 71 percent of all APS referrals are for "self-neglect" (an inability, due to physical or mental impairments, to perform tasks essential to caring for oneself).
• Approximately 28.3 percent of all APS referrals are perpetrator-related risks (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect by others, financial exploitation).

Of the perpetrator-related risks, the greatest number of reported risks are: financial exploitation (approximately 36.8 percent of perpetrator-related risks) and neglect by others (approximately 31.1 percent of perpetrator-related risks).

The Abusers

Sadly, the neglect and mistreatment of adults happens most by family members. New York State APS data documents that over half of the reported cases of physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect by others, and financial exploitation involve family members as perpetrators.

Here are the reported aggregate characteristics of suspected perpetrators under the following categories:

Physical Abuse

Psychological Abuse

Neglect By Others

Financial Exploitation