Financial and physical abuse of the elderly is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, rising 19.6 percent from 2000 to 2004.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office Elder Safe Program hosted a one-day elder abuse seminar Thursday on elder financial exploitation cases and its parallels to domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault grooming.

Marcia Langer is the director of the Elder Safe Program. "Last year the Elder Safe Program, using trained volunteer victim advocates, assisted nearly 1,000 elderly victims of crime in Washington County," Langer told the nearly 200 attendees from agencies statewide. "Sadly, it is estimated that less than 20 percent of elder abuse cases are ever reported to authorities."

In elder abuse, undue influence is usually used to financially exploit the elderly. This behavior shares similarities with domestic violence abusers, stalkers and sexual predators who groom their targets.
reprint from 4.12.07
Financial and physical abuse of the elderly is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, rising 19.6 percent from 2000 to 2004.

The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging estimates there may be as many as five million victims every year.

Undue influence is using that position of power to exploit the trust, dependency and fears of someone else, and deceptively gaining control of their decision making.

The abuser may use isolation or other family members as part of the pattern.

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