NYC Aging Releases New Report on Safety, Crime, and Abuse Among Older New Yorkers

NYC Aging Releases New Report on Safety, Crime, and Abuse Among Older New Yorkers

Findings show strong links between crime and abuse and ability to age-in-place

New York, NY - The NYC Department for the Aging (NYC Aging) has released a new report titled What The Data Demands: Findings from Older New Yorkers' Experiences of Safety, Crime, and Abuse. The report is based on data collected from the Service Needs Assessment (SNA), which asked older adults and their caregivers about their quality of life and what they believe is necessary to age-in-place.

Some of the report's findings include:

• Older adults who experienced age discrimination were more likely to report trouble paying at least one regular bill, more likely to report at least one barrier to leaving home, and less likely to have stable housing than those who had not experienced age discrimination.
• Older adults who experienced age discrimination were less likely to socialize enough and more likely to report mental health concerns than those who had not experienced age discrimination.
• Over half of older adults who report experiencing a type of crime or abuse did not report the incident to the police.
• Elder abuse victims were more likely to have a physical or sensory impairment and less likely to have stable housing than older adults who had not experienced abuse.

"NYC Aging's report serves as a powerful reminder that there are real-world consequences to elder discrimination and abuse," said NYC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga. "To ensure older adults can cultivate the full and dignified lives they deserve in New York City, we must prioritize keeping them safe - and the Mamdani Administration is committed to doing just that."

"These results show that in order to have an equitable and age-inclusive city, the safety of older adults must be prioritized," said NYC Aging Commissioner Dr. Lisa Scott-McKenzie. "There are already more older adults than school-aged children living in the city, and when older New Yorkers are scammed or involved in another crime, our Crime Prevention and Support Services program and network of elder justice providers are here to support them, creating communities where everyone is safe."

This report is the first in a series of issue papers called What the Data Demands, which will focus on areas that were revealed to be most pertinent to older adults in the SNA. NYC Aging conducted the SNA from May through September 2024, collecting responses from 8,600 participants. An overview of the results was released in The State of Older New Yorkers: Building An Age-Inclusive Future, which covered topics including older adults in the workforce, caregiving, technology, and health. In The State of Older New Yorkers report, it was found that nearly 15% of older adult respondents reported being a victim of elder abuse or crime since turning 60 years old.

For decades NYC Aging's Crime Prevention and Support Services (C-PASS), and network of providers across the city, has supported residents that have experienced elder abuse, scams and other crimes. The programs provide counseling, crisis intervention and safety planning, referrals to law enforcement, legal services and mental health services. For more information older adults and their caregivers can call Aging Connect at 212-AGING-NYC (212-244-6469).

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About NYC Aging: The NYC Department for the Aging's (NYC Aging) mission is to eliminate ageism and empower older adults to live independently in their communities. With a network of more than 300 older adult centers and naturally occurring retirement communities, and by providing vital programs and services for nearly 1.8 million older New Yorkers, the agency works to improve their physical and mental well-being.