States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections

Abuse happens every day and takes many forms. But vulnerable older Americans are among the easiest targets for this misconduct, especially those who are women, have disabilities and rely on others for care. By one estimate, elder abuse affects as many as 5 million people per year, and more than 95 percent of all cases go unreported.

Unless states take action to prevent further abuse, the problem will grow as America becomes an increasingly aging nation. The U.S. Census Bureau expects the population aged 65 and older to nearly double from 43.1 million in 2012 to 83.7 million in 2050, much to the credit of aging Baby Boomers who began turning 65 in 2011. And by just 2030, 1 in 5 U.S. residents will be retirement age.

Fortunately, states recognize that elder abuse is a real and growing issue. But sadly, only some are fighting hard enough to stop it. WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 14 key indicators of elder-abuse protection in 3 overall categories. Our data set ranges from “share of elder-abuse, gross-neglect and exploitation complaints” to “financial elder-abuse laws.” Continue reading below for our findings, expert commentary and a full description of our methodology.

Main Findings

States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections

Overall Rank (1=Best)	State	Total Score	‘Prevalence’ Rank	‘Resources’ Rank	‘Protection’ Rank
1	Massachusetts	63.68	10	5	14
2	Wisconsin	60.66	25	3	28
3	Nevada	59.57	21	4	24
4	Michigan	57.74	5	9	35
5	Arizona	57.47	30	6	8
6	Vermont	56.60	11	8	33
7	Iowa	56.13	7	24	12
8	Pennsylvania	56.09	4	27	16
9	North Carolina	55.04	19	31	2
10	West Virginia	53.47	18	11	21
11	New York	52.84	2	48	19
12	New Hampshire	52.62	3	25	40
13	Louisiana	52.57	1	29	42
14	Ohio	52.52	28	13	9
15	Texas	52.23	15	43	10
16	Minnesota	51.83	14	32	17
17	Maine	50.94	17	17	29
18	Oklahoma	50.62	31	12	5
19	Alaska	50.04	34	7	13
20	Delaware	49.62	13	21	39
21	Georgia	48.69	22	19	30
22	Florida	48.68	6	50	34
23	Mississippi	48.66	12	28	47
24	Maryland	48.02	36	20	1
25	Kansas	47.66	24	45	15
26	North Dakota	47.60	26	18	32
27	Indiana	46.41	9	49	46
28	Hawaii	46.34	8	51	48
29	Colorado	46.15	40	14	6
30	District of Columbia	46.00	43	2	31
31	Missouri	45.67	16	46	37
32	Alabama	45.62	20	38	45
33	Tennessee	45.62	33	26	7
34	Virginia	45.44	27	44	27
35	Washington	44.10	39	42	3
36	Illinois	43.58	35	36	11
37	Connecticut	43.40	29	15	49
38	Nebraska	40.75	23	47	50
39	Rhode Island	40.24	47	1	18
40	Oregon	38.80	32	39	41
41	Utah	37.62	38	30	43
42	Idaho	37.48	37	33	44
43	Kentucky	33.94	42	23	20
44	New Mexico	33.23	41	35	36
45	Arkansas	25.76	44	40	23
46	South Dakota	25.54	46	16	26
47	Montana	23.25	45	10	51
48	California	19.62	50	37	4
49	New Jersey	19.10	48	41	25
50	Wyoming	17.57	49	22	38
51	South Carolina	15.49	50	34	22

 

Ask the Experts

There are ways for families, organizations and lawmakers to protect America’s elderly population. We consulted a panel of experts in fields such as social welfare and aging for insight and advice. Read about the panelists and their thoughts on the following key questions below:

1. What are the most common types of elder abuse?
2. How can policymakers protect the elderly from abuse, financial or otherwise?
3. Should a caregiver be legally allowed to financially benefit from the death of the person he or she was caring for?
4. What can families do to protect elderly family members from financial abuse?

Methodology

In order to determine the states with the best protection against elder abuse, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Prevalence, 2) Resources and 3) Protection.

We evaluated these dimensions using 14 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was scored on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the “best protection against elder abuse.”

Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Prevalence – Total Points: 40

• Share of Elder-Abuse, Gross-Neglect and Exploitation Complaints: Full Weight (~40.00 Points)
  Notes: This metric was calculated by dividing the number of elder-abuse, gross-neglect and exploitation complaints by the number of residents aged 65 and older. “Complaints” include those made to the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.

Resources – Total Points: 30

• Total Expenditures on Elder-Abuse Prevention per Resident Aged 65 & Older: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
• Total Expenditures on Legal-Assistance Development per Resident Aged 65 & Older: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
• Total Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Funding per Resident Aged 65 & Older: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)

Protection – Total Points: 30

• Financial Elderly-Abuse Laws: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
  Note: This is a binary metric that considers the presence or absence of such legislation.
• Eldercare Organizations & Services per Resident Aged 65 & Older: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
• Presence of Elder-Abuse Forensic Centers: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers the presence or absence of Elder Abuse Forensic Centers in a state.
• Presence of Elder Abuse Working Groups: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
  Note: An “Elder-Abuse Working Group” is defined by the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center as “an entity such as a task force, council, commission, or non-profit organization, convened to address elder abuse issues at the state level.”
• Certified Volunteer Ombudsmen per Resident Aged 65 & Older: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
• Frequency of Assisted-Living Facilities Inspections: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
• Quality of Nursing Homes: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the percentage of certified nursing-home beds rated 4 or 5 stars.
• Presence of Laws Allowing Surveillance Cams in Nursing Homes: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures the presence or absence of state laws allowing surveillance cams in nursing homes.
• Presence of Elder Justice Task Forces: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures the presence or absence of an Elder Justice Task Force in a state.
• Presence of Elder-Abuse Shelters: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)
  Note: This binary metrics measures the presence or absence of elder-abuse shelters in a state.

 


Videos for News Use:

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Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Aging Integrated Database, National Conference of State Legislatures, Administration on Aging - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, California State Association of Public Administrators, Public Guardians & Public Conservators, National Center on Elder Abuse, National Consumer Voice, U.S. Department of Justice, Fox News and United Health Foundation.

Image: Ruslan Guzov / Shutterstock.com

Community Discussion

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Marilyn Berquist @MBerquist

December 7, 2018

Lawyers must be included as possible and probable exploiters of seniors with their fees of $500 per hour and up. Add to that encouraging unnecessary litagation to increase their fees should be included as very common exploiters of seniors.

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