Older Adults and Domestic Abuse

Like any other kind of abuse, elder abuse may be physical, emotional/verbal, financial, technology-related, or connected to a person’s spiritual or other identity.  The person causing the harm might be the intimate partner, a caregiver, a family member or friend, or a stranger (as in the case of phone and email scams).  This section of the website focuses specifically on situations involving domestic abuse.  Please note that the resources section (below and on the resources page) provides information about organizations that can help with all forms of elder abuse and neglect.    

It is important to note that many people incorrectly assume that older adults are not capable of causing true harm to their partner and that they are too weak or fragile to engage in any kind physical or sexual assault.  Moreover, sometimes when an older adult discloses abuse they have experienced, people assume that the person imagined it, is misremembering it, or is confusing it with something that happened earlier in their life.  People also might attribute the partner’s harmful behavior to conditions related to age or illness rather than deliberate choices that person is making about how they treat their partner.  

Domestic or dating abuse can be easily missed, underestimated, or outright dismissed when the person describing a harmful experience is seen as confused or the person who caused the harm is seen as non-threatening because of their age or ability.  It is very important to listen closely to disclosures from older adults who reach out for help and support. 

Learn more about violence against older women...

If an older adult discloses abuse or you hear or see something concerning, consider calling your local domestic abuse program for guidance on what you can do to be helpful.  The program can help you think about how to best support the person you are concerned about, as well as whether you want to make a report to the statewide Elder Abuse toll-free hotline at 1-800-922-2275. 

You can learn more about elder abuse at National Clearing House on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) (www.ncall.us) or Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic Violence & Elder Abuse (www.interfaithpartners.org/elder-abuse).

Resources (websites list which communities their program serves)

For more information about resources in your area, contact your local domestic abuse program. If you are unsure where to reach out, you can call SafeLink at 877-785-2020 or CLICK HERE