Here is the DB topic for this week. As usual, please review the posting guidelines in the syllabus before you post.

This can be a very challenging topic, but it's more prevalent than people think: Elder Abuse. These are the most senior members of our kinship units, yet sometimes people don't include elders in the conversation pertaining to family violence.

1. What is elder abuse? How common is it? Who are the perpetrators?

• Please check out this website for the National Center on Elder Abuse: http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/faq/index.aspx

• Look at the FAQ's and read the various sections. Some of their data is out dated, but it captures the issue in a salient way. This is a big problem.

2. Watch this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eaJXBj87to

3. Search for resources in your area to help people that are experiencing elder abuse.

4. After your have completed 1-3, craft your post for this week. Answer ALL of the following questions:

1. What did you know about elder abuse prior to this DB exercise?
2. What stuck out the most to you in both the website and the video?
3. What do you think can be done to prevent elder abuse? What about reporting?

4. Share with us the resources you were able to locate in your community. Describe what services they provide and what their reporting mechanisms are. Don't forget to provide the URL if you have found a website.

5. Remember that in order to receive full credit for your original post you need to link this db post to the course content this week. Please reflect on how this relates to the content we've covered this week and provide a citation and reference for the material you are referencing.