Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services

Protections

Personal safety and freedom from abuse, neglect and exploitation

To ensure personal safety and freedom, older adults deserve protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Learn more.

Although estimates of elder abuse in the United States range from four to 10 percent of individuals over age 65, the exact numbers are unknown. Learn more.

Nursing home staff have only rarely been trained to identify and prevent abusive situations. Learn more.

Federal support to address elder abuse began with a call for a national study in the 1984 amendments to the Older Americans Act. Learn more.

As part of recent efforts to improve public policy related to abused and at-risk elders, the National Center for Elder Abuse (NCEA) was created with grant funding from the Administration on Aging. Learn more.

The Elder Justice Act, considered by the 107th Congress, is the first-ever comprehensive federal effort to address elder abuse and crimes against seniors, and to guarantee protection for every older American. Learn more.

All 50 states have some form of legislation that authorizes them to protect and serve vulnerable, incapacitated, or disabled adults. Learn more.

Community leaders such as law enforcement officers must be sensitive to elderly abuse victims' options for care and respect the adults' right to self-determination. Learn more.

Resources

Protections Issue PDF Icon
Protection facts, trends and issues

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Updated: November 2, 2007