Ratio of Elderly and Abuse:

Caregiver neglect - 1:57

Financial Abuse - 1:44

Physical Abuse: 1:20

Psychological Abuse: 1:12

- Department of Justice

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• Approximately 2/3 of American seniors don't get the mental health support they need.

• On average, 8.5% of American seniors have a diagnosable anxiety disorder.

• About 25% of people with bipolar disorder are over 60 years of age (and this is expected to increase 50% by 2030).

• 1-5% of seniors are diagnosed with depression (11.5% are hospitalized and 13.5 receive in-home care).

For more information on statistics and types of care available, see Caring.com.

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• It's estimated that 20% of people 55+ live with a mental health concern.

• "[...] the rate of older adults with depressive symptoms tends to increase with age [...], depression is not a normal part of growing older. [...] in 80% of cases it is a treatable condition [...] depressive disorders are a widely under-recognized condition [...]."

 - CDC

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• " [mental and neurological] disorders in older people account for 17.4% of Years Lived with Disability (YLDs). The most common mental and neurological disorders in this age group are dementia and depression, which affect approximately 5% and 7% of the world’s older population, respectively. Anxiety disorders affect 3.8% of the older population, substance use problems affect almost 1% and around a quarter of deaths from self-harm are among people aged 60 or above."

• "Older people may experience life stressors common to all people, but also stressors that are more common in later life."

• Current evidence suggests that 1 in 6 older people experience elder abuse: physical, verbal, psychological, financial, sexual abuse, abandonment, neglect, and serious losses of dignity and respect.

• About 50 million people worldwide are living with dementia (almost 60% are living in low- and middle-income countries), and the number of people with dementia is projected to increase to 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050.
  - World Health Organization (WHO)

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27% of seniors experience symptoms of anxiety that significantly impacts their functioning.

For more information on seniors and anxiety, see Senior Advice.

Many seniors struggle with PTSD; an anxiety disorder that is arguably for prudent to address in this demographic because a considerable amount have been struggling for decades and ongoingly neglected.

For more information on seniors and PTSD, see Senior Advice.