Washington has the highest rate of elder abuse in the U.S. per 100,000 elderly residents, according to a new survey.
A Wisconsin personal injury law firm Gruber Law Offices used data from the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS) to determine the number of maltreatment reports among elders in 37 states and compared it to each state's elder population.
The report found that there is an average of 3,597 reports of mistreatment per 100,000 elderly residents each year in Washington. The most common type of mistreatment in the state is financial exploitation, which NAMRS describes as improper use of an individual's funds, property or assets.
The state averages 11,818 financial exploitation reports per year.
Missouri has the second-highest average number of reports per 100,000 elderly residents at 3,309. In Missouri, the most common type of abuse is self-neglect, or the inability to perform essential self-care tasks. The average is 13,129 reports per year. The second-most common type is financial exploitation with an average of 6,808 reports.
Texas, Maine and Oregon round out the top five states with the highest average of reports per 100,000. The most common types of maltreatment are self-neglect and neglect in Texas, uncategorized and self-neglect in Maine and neglect and financial exploitation in Oregon.
Neglect is defined by NAMRS as "the failure of a caregiver or fiduciary to provide the goods or services necessary to maintain the health or safety of a person."
Self-neglect was the most common form of elder abuse reported, with an average of about 252,185 reports made each year across the 37 states.
"Many elderly patients in nursing homes already suffer from illnesses or medical conditions, making it crucial to take any improper treatment seriously. It's alarming that these maltreatment figures are so high, especially in states like Washington, Texas, and Oregon," Steven Gruber of Gruber Law Offices said in a statement.
Hawaii had the lowest rate of elder abuse reports with an average of 253 reports of mistreatment per 100,000 elderly residents each year.
"Providing the best care for the elderly is more critical than ever, especially given that a growing proportion of Americans are living longer," Gruber said. "These findings shed light on the states with the most severe issues, which can allow for the allocation of the correct resources, training, and measures to reduce the number of maltreatment reports and injuries."
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