The 1996 NEAIS estimates that approximately 450,000 elderly persons in domestic settings were abused or neglected by others. This represents 1.01 percent of the 44 million persons age 60 or over. Physical abuse accounted for about 0.26 percent of the population. Most common was neglect and emotional or psychological abuse. The so-called "self-neglecting" elders (persons whose behavior threatens his/her own health or safety) were typically age 80 and over and, according to research observers, may be depressed. In most cases, situations of abuse and neglect of the elderly should fall within the domain of the social service system. A broad social service approach, including mental health services, should be undertaken to meet the varied needs of older persons. To divert needed resources to the criminalizing of this social problem or to reallocate resources to special elderly abuse programs within a starved social service system would be disastrous. When existing criminal laws have been violated, however, they should be enforced. More information about the needs of older persons should be made available to the helping profession, to caregivers, and to older persons themselves. Research should be conducted on the outcomes of social interventions into family problems and family violence. Also, policy must recognize and address the failure to provide the elderly with the economic means for a decent life and opportunities to exercise their own choices. Finally, the National Center on Elder Abuse and its collaborators should track elder abuse expenditures, so as to determine whether the response is sufficient for the size of the problem. 5 references