As older adults become a larger proportion of the population, their social and health needs continue to warrant further attention. This is particularly true for older adults in rural areas, where they are a relatively faster growing demographic compared with older adults in urban areas.
One public health concern that needs closer study is older adult maltreatment or elder abuse, and specifically social-contextual factors that lead to geographic differences in preventing and addressing abuse.
This policy brief from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examines elements of state-level elder abuse statutes’ definitions and reporting requirements to investigate potential differences in these policies by state rurality.
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