Click on image above to view or download the FrameWorks Institute report on elder justice. Click on image above to view or download the FrameWorks Institute report on elder justice.

I had the privilege of presenting at a webinar last week titled “Making Elder Justice a Reality: The Federal and Philanthropic Perspectives,” the first in the new year of Grantmakers in Aging’s "Conversations with GIA” series. During his introductory remarks, GIA Chief Executive Officer John Feather described elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation as “a silent problem.”

How can that be?

The fact that an estimated 10 percent of older adults—5 million people—are victims of elder abuse each year should be a source of national shame so profound that it compels us to take whatever action we can to eradicate this societal nightmare. Kathy Greenlee, Administrator of the Administration for Community Living and Assistant Secretary for Aging, who was presenting the federal government perspective on the webinar, spoke for many of us when she said she had a hard time understanding “why everyone in the world is not as outraged as I am about elder abuse.”

It’s a good question. And a new report by the FrameWorks Institute, titled “You Only Pray that Somebody Would Step In,” offers valuable insights into possible answers. I encourage you to take the time to read the report, which was supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation and Archstone Foundation. It examines the broad differences between the way aging experts and the public understand issues surrounding elder abuse in America. The report is part of a larger project to “Reframe Aging.”

As a nurse who has devoted much of my research career to tackling elder mistreatment, I’m not surprised by the findings in the FrameWorks report. Among the public, the report found, elder abuse is not viewed as a priority issue. Many hold a fatalistic attitude toward the problem, fueled by a combination of: ageism; the notion that elder abuse occurs among individual perpetrators and victims, and is not a systemic or societal problem; an understanding that the pressures and stresses of modern life make abuse more likely; and what the report refers to as a “responsibility vacuum,” where everyone is responsible, and no one is responsible.

Those of us who work in the field understand that there are clear risk factors for both perpetrators and victims of elder abuse, and that it will take a concerted, multifaceted approach to rid our society of this scourge. This will require better support for adult protective services, caregivers, and older adults, along with interdisciplinary teams trained appropriately, public education, and research.

During my presentation on the philanthropic perspective on elder justice, I discussed the importance of screening, assessment, and the use of evidence-based models of care to identify and address cases of elder abuse. It is estimated that as few as one in 14 cases of elder abuse are reported. And in the case of financial exploitation, the estimate is as low as one in 44 cases.

You can listen to a recording of the entire hour-long webinar on the GIA website.

Years ago, I heard Louis Sullivan, Secretary of Health and Human Services under former President George H.W. Bush, say something that has helped shape my thinking on this issue: “Elder justice is not a law and order issue, it’s a health care issue.” He is so right.

While there certainly is much work to do, I have been encouraged by recent progress, including passage of the Elder Justice Act in 2010, the inclusion of elder justice as one of four focus areas for the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, and the ongoing Frameworks Institute work.

Years ago, I heard Louis Sullivan, Secretary of Health and Human Services under former President George H.W. Bush, say something that has helped shape my thinking on this issue: “Elder justice is not a law and order issue, it’s a health care issue.” He is so right.

As part of its mission to improve care of older adults, The John A. Hartford Foundation is committed to looking at ways to use our resources to work with others to create a better world, one free of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. We will be holding an invitational meeting in February that will bring together leading elder justice experts and funders interested in developing a shared vision to address elder abuse and mistreatment. I hope that you will join in this important and essential work.

Listen to “Making Elder Justice a Reality: The Federal and Philanthropic Perspectives,” part of the "Conversations with GIA” webinar series.