While the media often focuses on the experiences of younger adults, over 1 million people over the age of 50 are stalked each year. In honor of National Stalking Awareness Month, take some time to learn more about how stalking affects those later in life.

Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear and/or to suffer substantial emotional distress. It is important to remember that acts that on the surface may seem harmless or benign can become threatening with more context.

Stalking includes a wide range of threatening and disturbing behaviors, and many types of elder abuse can include stalking behaviors — from psychological abuse to financial exploitation. Examples of stalking behaviors experienced by older adults may include:

• Tampering with assistive devices (deflating wheelchair, removing batteries from hearing aids, breaking eye glasses)
• Spreading sexual or embarrassing rumors about the victim 
• Excessive contact – phone calls, text messages, social media messages
• Breaking into the victim’s home or vehicle and leaving signs they were there 
• Convincing or blackmailing the victim to change their will, power of attorney, health care directive, or other legal documents
• Changing passwords, moving items around in the house, and/or lying to make the victim doubt their memory and state of mind 
• Threats of sending the victim to a nursing home
• Stealing or withholding finances the victim is entitled to — for example, social security money or a pension

Just like in other forms of elder abuse, the majority of stalking perpetrators know their victims. 42% of stalking perpetrators are acquaintances and 40% are current or former partners.

On average only 30% of all people who experience stalking will report to law enforcement, with older adults reporting at even lower rates. Older adults are more likely to face age related bias and are less likely to be believed when reporting. Learn more about the experiences of older survivors of stalking and how to support them.

Do you know there is a new way to make an Adult Protective Services (APS) report 24-hours a day, 7 days a week in Virginia? APS has launched an innovative and secure APS Report Portal which allows anyone to submit, in their own words, a report of adult maltreatment in Virginia to the appropriate local department of social services.

This portal is ONLY for a report of suspected ADULT abuse, neglect, or exploitation that is NOT an emergency.

Learn more about the APS Online Report Portal!

Webinar: Mental Health and Aging

January 28th, 1pm - 2pm ET

Hosted by the RAFT Program

Did you know that approximately 25% of older adults experience mental health challenges? Join RAFT for an interactive presentation on mental health and aging. Attendees will learn about common disorders, symptoms, misconceptions, and available resources. This event is designed for both professionals and community members.

Stalking and Older Adults Webinar

January 30th, 2pm - 3:30pm ET

Hosted by NCALL

We all have a role to play in identifying stalking and supporting victims and survivors. To commemorate National Stalking Awareness Month, NCALL is partnering with the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) to host a webinar - that examines stalking in the context of elder abuse – its prevalence, dynamics, implications, and resources available for survivors. The webinar will include time for a Q&A with the presenters, so please come with any questions you might have related to stalking and older adults! 

Questions? Please reach out to Ann Laatsch at alaatsch@ncall.us.