Which States Have Best Elder-Abuse Protections? The List May Surprise You

Oakland and Atlanta (Special to ZennieReport.com) – As a caregiver to my great and lovely Mom, who’s now 90, I’m particularly sensitive to matters regarding how the elderly are treated in America. So, when WalletHub Communications Manager Diana Polk sent their list of the best states in the United States of America with what are called “Elder-Abuse Protections”, I took notice. The results, as well as the subject, are worthy of discussion and action.

First, what is “Elder Abuse”? The U.S. Department of Justice says that Elder abuse is a significant threat to the health and well-being of older adults worldwide.

Defined as an intentional or negligent act that causes harm or serious risk of harm to an older adult, elder abuse can include physical, psychological, and sexual abuse; financial exploitation; and neglect and abandonment.

WalletHub is right when it states that: Elder abuse is a complex and concerning issue that hurts older Americans and costs us billions of dollars each year. It encompasses a wide range of abuses, including physical, psychological or sexual harm, plus taking advantage of seniors financially or neglecting them.are “Elder-Abuse Protections”.

The Department of Justice helps define what elder abuse is and the frequency of its occurrence in its report. So, copying that section of it and displaying it for the reader below is the best approach. Here’s what the Department of Justice has found.

How Common Is Elder Abuse?

Older adults can be especially vulnerable to financial, physical, and psychological abuse.

The Elder Justice Roadmap, a research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, indicates that 10% of adults over 60 in the United States experience some form of abuse each year. Studies have also shown that about two-thirds of elder abuse victims are women.

However, the prevalence of elder abuse may be much higher, as the Roadmap’s research suggests that only one out of every 24 cases is reported.

How Do Criminals Target Older Adults?

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2022 Elder Fraud Report, technology and customer support schemes are the most common type of fraud reported by older victims.

In 2022, victims over 60 reported more losses in call center scams than all other age groups combined, and victims reportedly remortgaged or foreclosed homes, emptied retirement accounts, and borrowed from family and friends to cover their losses.

Many cybercriminals targeting older adults through such scams are based outside the U.S., making this type of elder abuse more difficult to investigate.

Strangers do not just target victims of elder abuse. Family members, friends, and acquaintances can also use their relationships to defraud older Americans.

Department Of Justice Should Include Health Care Organizations And How They Abuse The Elderly

Before you see the list, it’s important to note that the WalletHub tally and the definitions of elder abuse provided by the Department of Justice do not include how health care organizations abuse the elderly.

For example, I have experienced a total horror with Fayette-Piedmont Hospital ER staff on one instance this year, and I blogged and vlogged about it. This is what I wrote to Mr. Stephen Porter, the CEO of Fayette-Piedmont Hospital on July 27th 2024:

Dear Mr. Porter,

My Mother and I as her caregiver, went through an experience that no one should. 

On Thursday night into Friday morning, my Mom, who is 89, asked me to call 9-11 because of a bloating / pain problem.   Not high blood pressure.  She had just been released by your same hospital that Thursday.  

So, she was picked up and I went back to your hospital.  I made these vlogs to show what we were experiencing up to the evil that your nurses did:

Mom Back In The Hospital Fayette-Piedmont After Complaining Of Bloating, Breathing Difficulties

Mom Back In The Hospital Fayette-Piedmont Update: Doctor Hasn’t Shown In One Hour As Mom Waits

Mom Back In The Hospital Fayette-Piedmont Update: Doctor Arrives, Quickly Treats Problem

Mom Back In The Hospital Fayette-Piedmont Update: Nurse Goes Off And Should Be Fired

Why the nurse lost her temper was because, not known fo her and I tried to tell her, another nurse took the blood pressure strap off.  But her reaction to my news was just plain creepy.  

My Mom, who had less pain because of the blood pressure strap off, said that she preferred that.  Your crazy lazy nurse said she was not going to come down every 15 minutes.  Seriously. 

I went to ask for the charge nurse.  But the nurse who was being evil lied and so as I am watching Mom, the charge nurse comes into Room 27 with security.  My Mom is wondering while she is in PAIN what she did wrong?    

That’s wrong.  OK.

You have to fire your nursing staff and start all over.  They act like they’re in some prison.  That’s not the way to run a business. 

I have to calm my Mom that she did nothing wrong.  She’s 89.  

Fire your staff, start over. 

Thank you,

Zennie

So it should be clear now that the health care industry also abuses the elderly, and must be made to stop its actions. Organizations like Fayette-Piedmont Hospital in Fayetteville, Georgia, must know and act under the law and be aware that they are held to a higher standard. And if employees are not following that standard, they should be terminated.

I am happy to report that our last visit to Fayette-Piedmont Hospital in Fayetteville, Georgia was much better:

With that, here’s the list.

States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Prevalence Rank	Resources Rank	Protection Rank
1	Wisconsin	67.94	21	1	3
2	Massachusetts	59.09	16	4	20
3	Vermont	56.39	6	9	19
4	Ohio	55.21	32	16	1
5	Virginia	53.44	22	11	15
6	Maine	51.69	20	10	31
7	Iowa	51.08	9	33	14
8	Kentucky	50.98	7	26	21
9	West Virginia	50.96	17	17	27
10	Minnesota	50.83	29	19	4
11	Wyoming	50.80	19	5	47
12	Arizona	50.41	23	36	7
13	Louisiana	50.34	1	47	25
14	Kansas	49.36	12	44	11
15	Pennsylvania	49.30	8	27	29
16	Maryland	49.08	38	13	5
17	Illinois	48.54	28	18	13
18	Connecticut	48.01	24	24	18
19	Alabama	47.60	14	35	28
20	Oklahoma	47.32	37	14	9
21	Washington	47.23	36	37	2
22	Michigan	47.13	3	49	34
23	Missouri	47.04	11	42	26
24	New Hampshire	46.29	4	40	46
25	Florida	46.26	2	51	35
26	Georgia	45.91	25	41	17
27	Texas	45.43	13	43	36
28	District of Columbia	44.96	39	6	10
29	North Carolina	44.80	35	32	8
30	New York	44.42	10	39	44
31	Colorado	43.81	40	15	16
32	Indiana	43.52	5	50	50
33	Mississippi	43.47	18	29	51
34	Oregon	43.43	27	23	42
35	Idaho	42.58	26	31	40
36	Hawaii	42.39	15	48	48
37	North Dakota	41.76	33	21	38
38	Alaska	39.90	42	7	23
39	Arkansas	38.87	31	38	43
40	New Mexico	38.37	30	46	45
41	Nebraska	37.69	34	45	41
42	Rhode Island	37.53	48	2	37
43	New Jersey	35.27	43	22	22
44	Nevada	35.02	49	3	30
45	Tennessee	33.51	44	34	12
46	Delaware	31.06	41	28	49
47	Montana	30.41	47	12	39
48	California	29.91	50	25	6
49	South Carolina	29.59	46	20	32
50	Utah	28.07	45	30	33
51	South Dakota	24.76	51	8	24

Why Is California So Low On The List At 48?

So why is California, a state that boosts the fifth largest economy in the entire world, at 48th on the list, near the bottom? Moreover, WalletHuub reports that California is at 49th for “Elder-Abuse, Gross-Neglect and Exploitation Complaints* – and tied with Nevada and South Carolina. That means those states draw the largest number of complaints. But why California?

Elder-Abuse, Gross-Neglect and Exploitation Complaints*

Lowest: 1 – Louisiana, 2 – Florida, 3 – Pennsylvania, 4 – Indiana, 5 – New Hampshire

Highest

T-49. California 47. Tennessee 48. Montana T-49. South Carolina T-49. Nevada

From the looks of the reports on the best states, one can infer that it’s because California does not spend money to take care of its elderly population. Indeed, how can a state like California, with such high rates of homelessness, even claim that it does? Look at this report on the best states, again, from WalletHub:

In-Depth Look at the Best States for 2025

Wisconsin

Wisconsin ranks as the top state for elder-abuse protections, and it’s one of only 22 states that have elder-abuse shelters, giving mistreated elderly residents resources for escaping their abusive situations. It also has the third-most elder care organizations per capita.

In addition, Wisconsin makes sure that misconduct in nursing homes is minimized. It requires assisted living facilities to have two inspections per year, the most in the country, and it also allows surveillance cameras in the rooms of nursing home residents in order to catch misconduct by employees or visitors.

To top things off, Wisconsin has the second-highest spending on legal assistance per resident age 65+, and it spends the third-most on elder abuse prevention. One way this has paid off is that the state has the eighth-lowest percentage of elderly residents falling victim to fraud and the eighth-lowest average loss to fraud.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts has the second-best elder-abuse protections in the country, including the highest spending on elder abuse prevention per elderly resident. The state also has the sixth-most volunteer ombudsmen per capita, and it has shelters for residents who have been victims of elder abuse.

The Bay State has a relatively low number of complaints about elder abuse, too. It has the second fewest complaints at board and care homes, and the 13th-fewest at nursing homes. While not every situation may get reported, the low number of complaints suggests that the measures Massachusetts is taking are working.

On top of that, Massachusetts has an elder abuse working group, which the National Center on Elder Abuse considers to be a state-level task force, council, commission or similar entity dealing with elder abuse. Massachusetts has the Elder Protective Services Commission, which was formed in 2013 to “assist in being adequately prepared to prevent, recognize and respond to cases of elder abuse.”

Vermont

Vermont has the third-best elder-abuse protections, with the second highest number of certified volunteer ombudsmen per capita, along with the second-most ombudsman funding per elderly resident. Vermont also has the second-most elder care organizations and services per capita, so residents have a lot of resources to help them if they are being taken advantage of by family or caregivers.

In addition, the Green Mountain State does a fairly good job of preventing fraud against the elderly. The state has the second-lowest average loss amount per case of fraud against elderly residents and the 16th-lowest fraud rate.

Finally, Vermont has the ninth-fewest elder abuse complaints per capita in nursing homes, and 19th-fewest in board and care homes. The state requires annual inspections of nursing home facilities, too. For context, only 26 states require inspections either yearly or more than once per year.

California Must Do Better Because Its Economy Is Too Large Not To

California must take a long look and then act to stop the devaluation of its own population that has gone on now for too long. A project that is the importance in size of The Manhattan Project is in order for California and indeed for states at the mid rang, like Georgia. There should be no weak-link states in the chain that forms America.