Senior & Vulnerable Adults Financial Protection and Reporting
Protecting Oregonians from Elder Abuse
Fighting elder abuse is a top priority for the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) and Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum. It is especially important as Oregon’s population of older residents continues to grow. In 2014, an estimated 16 percent of Oregonians were 65 or older. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to 20 percent.
Reports of possible elder abuse are also rising. In 2014, more than 38,000 cases of possible abuse were reported in Oregon, according to the Oregon Office of Adult Abuse Prevention and Investigations ». In 2015, this number grew to 43,000 cases – a 13 percent increase in one year.
A National Issue
Nationally, financial abuse costs older adults billions of dollars. Various studies estimate the cost from $2.9 billion per year to many times that amount. Women were nearly twice as likely to be victims of elder financial abuse as men.
