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Elder Abuse Demonstration Program

NCJ Number
121389
Author(s)
M Hwalek
Date Published
1989
Length
148 pages
Annotation
Illinois' Elder Abuse Demonstration Program involved the analysis of over 640 reports of elder abuse and neglect received by four projects during a 3-year period.
Abstract
The four projects provided information to the Illinois legislature on the characteristics of elder abuse victims and abusers, issues addressed by project staff, and differences among three models of elder abuse intervention (child abuse-mandatory reporting, legal intervention, and advocacy models). Each of the four project sites was selected to demonstrate a specific intervention model. A comprehensive evaluation of all projects revealed that 75 percent of elder clients were female, and almost 90 percent were white. Most clients had communication problems, and nearly two-thirds reported having some chronic health condition. Abusers were as likely to be male as female, with an average age of 50 years. Abusers were more likely to be a spouse in physical and sexual abuse cases. Substantiated elder abuse victims were more likely to rely on someone else to take them shopping or to the doctor, more likely to report being sad or lonely, more often to report feeling uncomfortable with someone in their families, more likely to say that other people made decisions about their lives, and more likely to feel nobody wanted them around. The Illinois Department on Aging recommends an elder abuse intervention program based on an advocacy-reporting model. This model recognizes that victims of elder abuse are adults in vulnerable positions and assists older persons by intervening on their behalf to protect their rights and provide needed services. Supplemental data and forms related to project evaluations are appended. 9 references, 54 tables, 19 figures.