With as much as 10% of Americans over age 60 suffering from elder abuse, and seniors especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2021’s States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections, and expert commentary.
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. Wisconsin | 42. New Mexico |
| 2. Massachusetts | 43. Nebraska |
| 3. Vermont | 44. Nevada |
| 4. Virginia | 45. Tennessee |
| 5. West Virginia | 46. South Dakota |
| 6. Washington | 47. New Jersey |
| 7. Iowa | 48. California |
| 8. Maine | 49. South Carolina |
| 9. Wyoming | 50. Montana |
| 10. North Carolina | 51. Utah |
Key Stats
- Alaska has the highest total long-term care Ombudsman program funding (per resident aged 65 and older), $8.85, which is 13.2 times higher than in Florida, the state with the lowest at $0.67.
- Alaska has the most certified volunteer Ombudsmen (per 100,000 residents aged 65 and older), 75, whereas Alabama, Montana, Mississippi, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming are among the states that have none.
- Mississippi and West Virginia have the most frequent assisted-living facility inspections, twice per year, which is ten times more frequent than in Montana, 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), 81.90 percent, which is 3.6 times higher than in Louisiana, the state with the lowest at 22.90 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
More from WalletHub
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- Best & Worst Places for Veterans to Live
- Best & Worst Cities for People with Disabilities
- Best & Worst States for Military Retirees
- Best States to Retire
Expert Commentary
What are the most common types of elder abuse?
“Elder abuse in many forms is far too prevalent in our country. The most common types of elder abuse are financial, physical, and mental. Financial abuse of senior citizens (anyone 60 or older) is widespread. Seniors are often easy targets because of cognitive or physical impairments, forgetfulness and [the fact that] some may be easily manipulated. The abuse can come from unscrupulous family members, friends, or members of the community. Unfortunately, women are twice as likely as men to be victims of elder financial abuse.”
Denise Marzano-Doty – Adjunct Professor, Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
“There are many different forms of elder abuse such as mental, physical, psychological, sexual, and neglect. Psychological abuse (11.6%) and financial abuse (6.8%) are the two most frequent ones, but neglect is the most frequent type affirmed by Adult Protective Services. Financial and fraud is defined as someone illegally or improperly using an individual’s money, property, or other resources.”
Fei Sun, Ph.D. – Professor, Michigan State University
How can policymakers protect the elderly from abuse, financial or otherwise?
“We need more funding for Adult Protection Services programs across all states. And once that is in place, we need all states to adopt mandated reporting laws for financial institutions. There needs to be better coordination and information sharing between APS and financial institutions when a client is suspected of being exploited, and financial institutions should have more authority to place a temporary hold on a client’s funds if they face a serious risk of loss from continued fraud or exploitation. Brokerage firms should be asking their clients to complete the Trusted Contact form, and this rule should be adopted by banks and credit unions in addition to wealth management firms.”
Marti DeLiema, Ph.D. – Assistant Research Professor, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
“Policymakers should advocate for added protections regarding elder abuse, especially since technology has become an essential mode of communication during the pandemic. Scammers are leveraging COVID-19 to prey on older adults. Improved policies on security and protection regarding communication devices may deter and stop future financial scams.”
Fei Sun, Ph.D. – Professor, Michigan State University
What can families do to protect elderly family members from being abused financially?
“Frequent communication and checking in on elderly family members are important. There are also tools available for families to assess their elder family members’ vulnerability to financial abuse. If they are concerned about the quality of their elder family member’s financial decision making due to cognitive decline and other health issues, they should have an honest conversation with them and work with them to find solutions (e.g., designate a power of attorney to manage their financial affairs or enroll in a senior money management program).”
Zhenmei Zhang, Ph.D. – Professor, Michigan State University
“Stay in regular contact. Ask permission to help review bank and credit card statements. Try to reach an agreement that no documents will be signed without talking it over as a family. Talk about how scammers call on the phone so you should NEVER give personal or financial information over the phone or the internet. Have a family meeting to discuss how all of us are at risk for internet and telephone scams and go over examples. A good resource for that is the National Center on Elder Abuse.”
Melissa C. Brown – Clinical Professor, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law