WISCONSIN — WalletHub recently released a study that reported Wisconsin ranked as the top state for elder-abuse protections in the United States, followed by Massachusetts and Ohio. 

Out of 100 points, Wisconsin scored a 62.45. WalletHub used three dimensions — prevalence, resources and protection — to score each of the states. Wisconsin ranked 22 in prevalence, first in resources and fifth in protections.

The U.S. Department of Justice defines elder abuse as “an intentional or negligent act that causes harm or serious risk of harm to an older adult.” It can involve neglect, financial exploitation, self-neglect and more. Elder abuse cost the U.S. more than $1.6 billion last year.

A 2022 report by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services found that 22% of calls made to helplines for elder abuse had to do with financial exploitation, 47.5% had to do with self-neglect and another 10.4% was for neglect by others.

WalletHub officials said combating these abuses is key as the U.S. Census Bureau projects that the 65 and older population will double from 49.2 million in 2016 to 94.7 million in 2060.

Wisconsin comes in at the top for protections, with a high amount of elder care organizations and services. It also invests three times the amount per elderly resident in elder-abuse prevention programs than the state average. The state is one of only 22 with elder-abuse shelters in place.

Wisconsin ranks third in the country for both the total amount of money spent on elder-abuse prevention and elder care organizations and services. 

Every county in the state has an elder agency that will explore reports of abuse. You can find a list of those here.