Publication Date: December 12th, 2024
Publication Type(s): Policy Brief
Topic(s): Aging, Health Disparities and Health Equity, Public Health, Rural Statistics and Demographics, Social Determinants of Health, Violence and abuse
Author(s): Swendener A, Fritz AH, DeLiema M, and Henning-Smith C
As older adults become a larger proportion of the population, their social and health needs continue to warrant further attention. This is particularly true for older adults in rural areas, where they are a relatively faster growing demographic, compared with older adults in urban areas. One public health concern that needs closer study is older adult maltreatment or elder abuse, and specifically social-contextual factors that lead to geographic differences in preventing and addressing abuse. In this policy brief, we examine elements of state-level elder abuse statutes’ definitions and reporting requirements to investigate potential differences in these policies by state rurality that could influence our understanding of elder abuse among rural and urban areas.