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Perpetrators of Elder Abuse

The National Research Council defines elder abuse and mistreatment as:

• intentional actions that cause harm or create a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable elder by a caregiver or other person who stands in a trust relationship to the elder, or
• failure by a caregiver to satisfy the elder's basic needs or to protect the elder from harm."

NIJ has funded two studies that identify characteristics of those caregivers who perpetrate elder mistreatment. 

In a court-based study of abused women in Rhode Island over the age of 50, researchers reviewed court records — cases in which the perpetrator has been prosecuted for a crime — and found that: [1]

• Nearly half of the suspects had a prior criminal history on record in the state.
• Over a quarter had a prior court case for domestic violence.
• Two in ten had a prior record for a drug- or alcohol-related event.
• Fourteen percent had a prior case for a crime against person (non-domestic).
• Sixteen percent had been sentenced to prison for a prior charge.

In a telephone survey of nearly 6,000 elderly individuals, victims of elder physical mistreatment reported that: [2]

• A majority (57 percent) of perpetrators of physical abuse were partners or spouses.
• Half of perpetrators were using drugs or alcohol at the time of the mistreatment.
• Three in ten perpetrators had a history of mental illness.
• Over a third of perpetrators were unemployed.
• Four in ten perpetrators were socially isolated.