Current Day Perspectives
Even though the problem of elder abuse is growing in the United States, less awareness is brought onto the issue. In 2010, there are approximately 6 million elder abuse case. This number involves 9.5% of the population of elderly. However, there is no accurate number of elder abuse cases because it does not have much public awareness and the definition of elder abuse varies. The number of elder abuse cases is estimated to increase gradually along with the increasing population. The New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study estimated that for every case of elder abuse acknowledged by programs and agencies, 24 others are unknown. Besides, the awareness to confront elder abuse is absent to most Americans. It could be the lack of ability to recognize the issue, or that to report the issue, causing the public to underestimate the seriousness of the issue. (Statistics/Data, n.d)