Extension Focus

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month is recognized in October. It first began in 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence as a Day of Unity to connect battered women’s advocates across the country.

While I am passionate about raising awareness about domestic violence in general, I fear that the topic of elder abuse and neglect is rarely talked about and is equally as important.

No one is immune to elder abuse — it can happen to anyone, at any time, and anywhere. Often a silent problem, elder abuse can rob older adults of their dignity and security and leave them feeling fearful, depressed, and alone. Sadly, 10 percent of Americans over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse in the last year, and many researchers expect this number to rise with the growth of the aging population.

Elder abuse is an intentional act, or failure to act, that causes or is likely to cause harm to an adult. The six most common categories of elder abuse are: Physical, Emotional or Psychological, Sexual, Neglect, Abandonment, and Financial/Exploitation.

In Kansas, financial abuse by the way of a scam is the most common form of elder abuse. The following are the top 10 reported scams that target older adults:

1. Telemarketing, phone, charity, or imposter scams;

2. Grandparent scams;

3. Medicare of health insurance scams;

4. Internet fraud;

5. Funeral and cemetery scams;

6. Sweepstakes, prizes, or lottery scams;

7. Home repair or reverse mortgage scams;

8. Investment schemes;

9. Counterfeit prescription drug sales;

10. Fraudulent anti-aging products.

Know that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will never call to demand immediate payment or collect on taxes owed without having mailed you a bill; demand you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount; require you to use a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card; ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or threaten to bring in law enforcement officials to have you arrested for not paying.

Elder abuse can happen to anyone. Those who are more likely to be victimized include women, the very elderly, socially isolated, have mental impairment such as dementia, or are prior victims of abuse particularly domestic abuse.

Ninety percent of individuals who perpetrate abuse are family members of the victim, most often a spouse or an adult child. If you see someone being verbally combatant or abusive, physically abusive or rough, only concerned with a person’s financial situation rather than their well-being, blaming or shaming an older adult, or socially isolating a care recipient, you should report it.

For every one case of reported elder abuse, at least 23 more cases go unreported. If you or someone you know is being abused, neglected, or exploited, tell someone immediately — a trusted family member, friend, health-care provider, or law enforcement official.

• If you suspect someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

• If you suspect domestic or community abuse (abuse occurring in a residential home), contact: Kansas Department for Children and Families Adult Protective Services, 1.800.922.5330.

• If you suspect abuse is occurring in a nursing home, hospital, home health agency, or something similar, contact: Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, 1-800-842-0078.

Information obtained from K-State Research and Extension, www.accesskansas.org, and www.breakthecycle.org.

Jessica Kootz is the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent in the Midway Extension District. For more information on this article or other Family and Consumer Sciences related questions, email Jessica at jessicak@ksu.edu or call a Midway Extension District office at

(785) 472-4442 or (785) 483-3157.