The opening chapter discusses the need to determine the incidence of abuse of the elderly as well as problems related to the generation of accurate data. The methodology of the study is explained, including the questionnaire design and the procedures used to pretest the survey instrument. Major hypotheses that guided the study are also listed. In the next chapter, findings are presented from the interviews, with a projection of the incidence rate of abuse among the total noninstitutionalized, nonboarding-home population of elderly New Jersey residents. Profiles of those reported to be abused and information on the abusers are discussed, along with an overview of selected personal, social, and economic variables associated with abuse. The third chapter analyzes data generated from a new scale developed for the study; it examines respondents' attitudes toward the care and treatment of older family members. Relationships to various selected variables are tested using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient or the Chi square test to determine statistically significant relationships. The study found data from the initial survey were inadequate to project a rate of incidence based on respondents' reports of abuse experienced by elderly people other than themselves. However, the findings suggest that the most prevalent form of abuse of the elderly involves the misuse of their finances or property by relatives or other caretakers. Recommendations include focusing future research on the nature of elder abuse, social, economic, and personal causes of abuse, and solutions to the problem rather than on additional studies of incidence; and constructing legislation to include more preventive approaches to the problem. Also suggested are the best features of the traditional protective services model with those of the domestic violence and advocacy models, emphasis on the development of accessible and inexpensive legal services, and exploration of the development of comprehensive national health coverage that includes home health care and other support services for the elderly and their caretakers. Tabular data are provided.