With as many as 13 out of every 14 elder-abuse cases going unreported and seniors especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections, as well as accompanying videos.
To determine which states fight the hardest against elder abuse, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 16 key metrics. The data set ranges from “elder-abuse, gross-neglect and exploitation complaints” to “financial elder-abuse laws.”
States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections | States with the Worst Elder-Abuse Protections |
1. Massachusetts | 42. Oregon |
2. Wisconsin | 43. Nebraska |
3. Vermont | 44. Tennessee |
4. Michigan | 45. New Mexico |
5. West Virginia | 46. Nevada |
6. Virginia | 47. Montana |
7. District of Columbia | 48. Utah |
8. Iowa | 49. California |
9. Louisiana | 50. South Carolina |
10. Maine | 51. New Jersey |
Key Stats
- Alaska has the highest total long-term care Ombudsman program funding (per resident aged 65 and older), $8.07, which is 12.8 times higher than in Florida, the state with the lowest at $0.63.
- Alaska has the most certified volunteer Ombudsmen (per 100,000 residents aged 65 and older), 68, whereas Alabama, Montana, Mississippi, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming are among the states that have none.
- Connecticut, Hawaii, Missouri and Wisconsin have the most frequent assisted-living facility inspections, twice per year, which is five times more frequent than in Nebraska, the state with the least frequent at once every five years.
- Hawaii has the highest nursing-home quality (share of certified nursing-home beds rated 4 or 5 stars), 67.90 percent, which is 2.3 times higher than in Texas, the state with the lowest at 30.10 percent.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-best-elder-abuse-protection/28754/
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