Why Naming Older Adults in Policy Matters

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Summary

• Older adults experiencing abuse are often overlooked, not because of a lack of need but because policies fail to name them directly, leaving their experiences invisible and their pathways to safety unclear.
• Recent opportunities to testify before state and federal bodies reflect a growing recognition that elder abuse intersects with health care, housing, and community stability, and must be addressed as a core public safety issue.
• Explicitly including older adults in policy is essential to building systems that respond effectively to harm, support aging in place, and recognize older adults as full participants in community life.

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Being Invited to Speak Is a Signal

Being invited to speak in a policy space can feel like a small moment, but sometimes it signals something larger. When the Weinberg Center for Elder Justice was asked to testify before New York State’s Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) as it updated its Model Domestic Violence Policy for Counties, it felt like one of those moments. Not because I was speaking on behalf of a single organization, but because older adults were asked to join  a conversation in which they have too often been absent.

For a long time, elder abuse has existed at the margins of domestic violence policy. It is rarely centered and often mentioned only in passing. Yet, older adults experience harm in ways that are deeply shaped by relationships, dependency, and access to care. When policies do not explicitly name older adults, their experiences become easier to overlook.

When Older Adults Are Not Named, They Are Not Seen

Much of this invisibility stems from long-held assumptions. Harm in later life is frequently dismissed as family stress, caregiver burden, or simply part of aging. These assumptions make it harder for professionals to identify abuse and harder for older adults to be believed when something is wrong.

When policies fail to name older adults directly, systems lack clear guidance on how to respond. The absence is not intentional, but it has real consequences. Without explicit recognition, older survivors are less likely to be identified, supported, or protected in meaningful ways.

Why Explicit Inclusion Changes Outcomes

Abuse in later life rarely fits neatly into one system. It often involves overlapping issues of health, housing, finances, and caregiving. An older adult may depend on the same person causing harm for transportation, medication management, or daily care. These dynamics require responses that are coordinated, flexible, and informed by the realities of aging.

Explicitly naming older adults in policy creates space for those realities. It encourages collaboration across systems and supports responses that reflect the complexity of people’s lives. When older adults are clearly included, professionals are better equipped to ask the right questions and connect individuals to appropriate support before situations escalate.

A Broader Shift Is Taking Place

In the testimony on behalf of the Weinberg Center, I spoke about how the current policy, last meaningfully updated in the late 1990s, references older adults only in passing and fails to reflect the realities of abuse that occur within caregiving and dependent relationships. I also emphasized that naming older adults explicitly in the policy is not symbolic but necessary to ensure that systems are equipped to recognize risk, respond appropriately, and connect survivors to meaningful support.

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The opportunity to testify before OPDV felt significant because it reflected a growing willingness to examine where existing frameworks fall short. It created space to talk honestly about how elder abuse is often overlooked, even within systems designed to protect survivors, and how clearer guidance can help professionals respond with greater confidence and care.

There is increasing recognition that elder abuse is not a peripheral issue but one that directly affects an individual’s ability to live safely and independently. Addressing it is essential to building communities where people can age with dignity.

Older Adults Must Remain Part of the Conversation

Naming older adults in policy is not symbolic. It is a commitment to visibility, accountability, and meaningful action. When older adults are explicitly included, systems are better positioned to respond with care, coordination, and respect.

As conversations about health, housing, and community living continue, it is critical that older adults remain part of them. They are present in every community, and our policies should reflect that reality clearly and intentionally.

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Endnotes