Elder Justice

Many Baltimore City Seniors are victims of abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. This can take many forms. Senior Legal Services helps clients pursue civil legal remedies when they are taken advantage of in these ways.

What is Elder Abuse?

“An intentional act or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult.”

Center for Disease Control, 2016.

Impact:

Medical

  • Lasting physical, emotional, financial and behavioral impact on older adults
  • Elder abuse triples the risk of premature death
  • Victims of elder abuse are 3 times more likely to be admitted to hospital
  • High healthcare, social and legal costs result from elder abuse

Social

  • Increased social isolation
  • Decreased social resources
  • Loss or decline in social networks

Financial

  • Older adults lose an estimated $2.9 billion annually to financial abuse and exploitation
  • Increased spending on services to compensate for resources lost through exploitation
  • Injuries estimated to add more than $5.3 billion to annual health expenditure
  • Expenses associated with the prosecution, punishment, & rehabilitation of elder abuse perpetrators
  • Financial losses of businesses, families, elders, and government programs, and increases reliance on federal health programs like Medicaid

Abuse

The sustaining of any physical injury by a vulnerable adult as a result of cruel or inhumane treatment or as a result of a malicious act by any person

MD CODE ANN. FAM. LAW §14-101(b)

Indicators

Physical Abuse

Emotional or Psychological Abuse

Sexual Abuse

  • Unexplained injuries
  • Bruises, burns, bites
  • Missing hair
  • Untreated medical problems
  • Visits to different doctors/hospitals
  • Weight loss
  • Clothing out of season covering parts of body
  • Fear, anxiety, depression, withdrawal
  • Cowering
  • Fearful interaction with others
  • Others speaking on seniors’ behalf
  • Not allowing privacy
  • Physical signs of isolation (no phone or visitors)
  • Abuser discredits the elder making them look incapable
  • Pain, bruising or bleeding in genital or chest area
  • Sexually transmitted disease
  • Recent depression
  • Recent incontinence
  • Change is senior’s mood or behaviors