An overview of aging and mistreatment of LGBT elders

Abstract

Many older adults experience their later life as a time when they may be able to enjoy the company of family and friends to an extent not possible during their working years. Most older adults, including those who are LGBT, remain in their homes as they age; most enjoy good and appropriate treatment by their family members, their extended family, and their services providers. However, for some older adults, old age is marred by unhealthy dependencies of families, friends, and others to the point that the older adult may experience abuse, neglect, and exploitation discretely or in escalation. Such harsh and life-threatening treatment of individuals in later life can occur in community as well as facility settings, as a single occurrence or over a protracted period of time. Elder mistreatment is thought to affect one in nine older adults, with 23.5 instances of mistreatment going unreported for each one reported to authorities.