Sexual Predators Who Target Elders:

Findings from the First National Study of Sexual Abuse in Care Facilities
Men and women today are living longer and want to remain in their own homes as long as
they possibly can, rather than reside in a nursing home or an assisted living facility. In order for
these men and women to remain at home, they need support and resources, as there are a
number of different types of abuse against elderly men and women. These types of abuse
including physical abuse, verbal/emotional abuse, financial exploitation, and even the rare
occasion of sexual abuse that occurs at home. This paper will discuss the issue of elder sexual
abuse within one’s own home and from one’s own family member.
Hands-off offenses are often less obvious to recognize include sexual harassment, threats
of sexual violence, sexual jokes, forced viewing of pornography or exposure to one’s private
parts .The first is local law enforcement that has jurisdiction to investigate any complaint of
sexual abuse or rape across all aged victims. Sexual abuse is not a legal term but is used to
describe sexual behavior that is considered criminal by state or federal law. Elements of criminal
sexual behavior such as rape usually require that the act was nonconsensual, forced, with
penetration and under force or threat of force. State or federal law defines additional criminal
sexual acts.
Clearly, an age range considered "elderly" a century ago might now be considered
"middle-aged". Many research reports do not address the issue but do describe their samples in
terms of the age range of victims studied.A national source of data on incidences of sexual abuse
against women and children has helped to improve problem recognition and the development of
successful programs of prevention and treatment . However, large gaps exist in our knowledge
about elder sexual abuse.
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