NCJ Number
149244
Date Published
1994
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This report presents statistics on elderly victimization in Delaware and projections on the elderly population based on the 1990 Delaware Population Consortium's Population Projections.
Abstract
Its purpose is to help develop programs and improve service delivery to the older population of Delaware. The first section breaks down Delaware reported crime victims age 60 and over into different offense categories and shows that larceny theft (1,515 incidents) and burglary (681 incidents) were the most frequently reported offenses in 1991. This section also compares the percentage of elderly victims in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex County. A special section is devoted to elderly abuse cases including inadequate care, neglect, and financial exploitation. It shows that Delaware's Adult Protective Services Program experienced a 25-percent increase in elder abuse cases investigated between 1987 and 1991. This rise is all the more alarming if one considers Delaware's population projections. These indicate that between 1990 and 2015 the elderly population will increase by 49 percent and that the fastest growing segment of the older population continues to be adults aged 85 and over. Six charts and graphs are appended.