Elder abuse

The Associated Press has this primer on everything you need to know about elder abuse, including that the abuse rarely results in criminal proseuctions because of the stereotype that their abuse is tough to prove and that older people make poor witnesses.

A couple highlights:

* By 2050, there will be more old people on earth than children for the first time in history;

* the most common abusers of the elderly are family members or friends;

* and "even in the few countries where elder abuse is a crime, cases are seldom prosecuted. One reason is that stereotypes cast elders as lousy witnesses and their abuse as tough to prove."

After a backlog in elder abuse cases grew too staggering, the California Department of Health managed the backlog by dismissing complaints, not seeking increased resources. Now almost all complaints are investigated over the phone, and prosecutors report a dramatic decline in the cases referred to them for investigation.