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Reports Of Oregon Elder Abuse On The Rise

<p>A new report issued Thursday in Oregon shows the number of vulnerable adults being abused continues to rise.</p>

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A new report issued Thursday in Oregon shows the number of vulnerable adults being abused continues to rise.

As the state's population of older residents continues to grow, so, too, does the number of reports of possible abuse or neglect of these Oregonians.

The Oregon Office of Adult Abuse Prevention and Investigations' (OAAPI) 2014 third annual report shows that last year, there was a 10-percent increase in the number of investigations conducted into the abuse and mistreatment of vulnerable Oregonians. In 2014, there were more than 38,000 cases of possible abuse reported while in 2013, there were more than 35,000 reports. This population includes older adults and those with physical, intellectual/developmental or mental-health disabilities living either in their own homes and communities or in licensed facilities.

From received reports in 2013, almost half, or 16,500, were assigned to investigation. In 2014, the number investigated grew by almost half to 18,185. As in 2013, in 2014 the most common type of abuses were financial exploitation and neglect, and there an uptick in self neglect as well.

The increase of abuse in communities, versus licensed facility settings, accounted for the majority of abuse cases, with 9,198 allegations of abuse being reported and 2,538 adults confirmed abused. This tracks with additional findings that show non-mandatory reporters in communities, such as bankers and financial service workers, continued across the board to outnumber mandatory reporters in reporting possible abuse or neglect by a 51 to 49 percent margin, said Joe Merrifield, who manages the research and prevention unit of OAAPI.

Read more at the Statesman Journal.

Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting

Carol McAlice Currie