Mandated reporting of abuse/maltreatment of older adults: A primer for counselors

Maltreatment of older adults is a serious and underrecognized problem. Ever y state and 6 Canadian provinces have enacted legislation to prefect vulner able older adults from abuse, and many require that mental health professio nals report disclosures of abuse to authorities. However, these laws have r eceived little attention in the counseling literature. This article examine s the scope of maltreatment of older persons and describes the content of e lder abuse and elder maltreatment laws, with special focus on counselors' r esponsibilities to report maltreatment to authorities. It concludes with st rategies for assessing maltreatment and with implications of these laws for confidentiality and informed consent.