Someone They Trusted

June Is Elder Abuse Awareness Month — and the Most Dangerous Person in a Senior’s Life Is Often the Last One You’d Suspect

By Ted Toedte, Crime Prevention Specialist, WCSO

“Elder abuse doesn’t usually look like violence. It looks like someone helping — right up until the moment they aren’t.”

Every year in the U.S., one in 10 older adults experiences some form of elder abuse — and many endure multiple types simultaneously. That is not a fringe problem. That is your neighbor. Your parent. The widow at your church. The veteran down the street.

And the numbers only tell part of the story. Only one in 24 cases of elder abuse is ever reported to authorities. For every case that surfaces, dozens more stay buried — hidden by fear, shame, and the heartbreaking reality that 60 percent of elder abusers are family members, most often spouses or adult children.

June is National Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and every year on June 15th the world recognizes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Elder abuse is a crime. It is happening in our community right now. And we can stop it — but only if we are willing to see it.

The Scale of The Problem

The consequences of elder abuse are severe. Older adults who are abused are twice as likely to be hospitalized, four times as likely to enter a nursing home, and three times as likely to die prematurely. This is not a quality-of-life issue. It is a life-and-death one.

The World Health Organization estimates that 320 million seniors will suffer from elder abuse by 2050. The time to act is not later. It is now.

What Elder Abuse Actually Looks Like

Most people picture elder abuse as something dramatic — a physical assault, a visible injury. The reality is far more layered.

Physical Abuse — Unexplained bruises, injuries inconsistent with the explanation given, sudden weight loss, poor hygiene, or untreated medical conditions.

Emotional Abuse — Threats, belittlement, cutting seniors off from loved ones. A senior who seems fearful or withdrawn around a specific person may be experiencing it right now.

Financial Exploitation — The fastest growing form. Unauthorized use of funds, forged signatures, sudden changes to wills or accounts. Seniors lose at least $2.6 billion every year to financial abuse alone — and only one in 44 cases is ever reported.

Neglect — Whether intentional or not, failure to provide adequate food, medication, or hygiene care causes real and lasting harm.

Scams: The Other Threat At The Door

Seniors are the primary targets of organized scam operations — and the tactics are growing more sophisticated every year. The most common include government impersonation calls threatening arrest or benefit suspension, grandparent scams now using cloned voices powered by artificial intelligence, tech support fraud that gains remote access to financial accounts, and door-to-door contractor schemes that collect deposits and disappear.

The red flags are the same across every scheme: urgency, secrecy, and unusual payment methods. If someone is pressuring you to act immediately, asking you to keep it secret, or demanding payment by gift card or wire transfer — stop. Hang up. Call someone you trust.

Warning Signs Every Neighbor Should Know

• Unexplained changes to financial documents, wills, or account beneficiaries
• Unpaid bills despite adequate income
• A caregiver who speaks for the senior or refuses to leave them alone with visitors
• Withdrawal from friends, church, or family activities they previously cherished
• Sudden new companions with unusual influence over financial decisions

Abusers depend on isolation. Your visits — even brief, casual ones — break that isolation and change everything.

The WCSO Safety Net Daily Call-In Program

The WCSO Safety Net Program provides daily check-in calls for seniors who live alone or lack regular daily contact with family or friends. If a call is missed and contact cannot be made, a welfare check is initiated promptly.

To further enhance this service, members of the Sheriff’s Posse conduct personal home visits to participating seniors — bringing a human presence and a friendly face to those who may otherwise go days without one. This combination of daily phone contact and in-person visits creates a powerful safety net that keeps our most vulnerable residents connected, checked on, and cared for.

This program exists because isolation is one of the greatest threats a senior faces — not just from abuse or scams, but from medical emergencies, falls, and simply going through a day without hearing a friendly voice. Enrollment is free.

The WCSO Crime Prevention Unit is available to present to faith communities, senior centers, civic organizations, assisted living facilities, neighborhood associations, and any group that wants to protect the seniors in their community. Presentations are free, conversational, and tailored to your audience — covering elder abuse awareness, scam prevention, and available local resources. To schedule, call (850) 892-8111 or email crimeprevention@waltonso.org.

June 15th is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Make a decision this month — pick one senior in your life and show up for them. Visit. Call. Pay attention. It costs nothing. And it could mean everything.

If something feels wrong, say something. Every call matters. Every visit matters. Every one of us matters.

Ted Toedte is a certified Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) practitioner and Crime Prevention Specialist with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Unit. With over 30 years of law enforcement experience spanning both Florida and California, he brings a broad, field-tested perspective to crime prevention work. He can be reached at (850) 892-8111 or crimeprevention@waltonso.org.