Mass second in elder abuse protections
Massachusetts ranks second among the 50 states when it comes to maintaining protections against elder abuse, according to an analysis released by personal finance website WalletHub on Wednesday.
WalletHub analysts compared the 50 states and Washington D.C. on 10 metrics, such as complaints of abuse and neglect, exploitation and financial abuse of elders ages 60 and older in order to produce the 2016 rankings.
The Bay State came in third after Washington D.C. and Nevada. Metrics that drove Massachusetts’ strong ranking were a first-place ranking on total expenditures on elder abuse prevention; an eighth-place ranking on the number of volunteers acting as ombudsmen to guard against elder abuse; and having the 10th-lowest number of complaints of gross neglect and exploitation against elders. Massachusetts was also strong in the areas of nursing home quality; funding for a long-term care volunteer ombudsman program and having adequate services and organizations to serve the population.
According to WalletHub, elder abuse affects 5 million people a year, and 96 percent of cases aren’t reported. The website said the problem is likely to increase if aggressive action isn’t taken, since the population of people 65 and older is expected to double by 2050, to 83.7 million.
WBJ Web Partners
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