According to a recent study, financial exploitation and abuse of older Americans frequently occurs at the hands of those must trusted. A gerontology expert at Virginia Tech found in her evaluation of more than 1,100 news reports that 31 percent of elder abuse involved financial matters, most linked to friends and family. The news reports were printed from November 2010 to January 2011.

Among the victims of financial exploitation, women between 80 and 89 years old were frequent targets. The researcher said they could be more susceptible to such abuse because many live by themselves and ask for help with home repairs or personal matters, inviting people into their homes. Financial abuse of women in this age range occurs almost twice as much as it does to older men.

Additionally, such cases often occur during the holiday season because of an increase in a number of guests coming to seniors' homes.

In three-fifths of the cases, men between 30 and 59 years old were found responsible for the financial abuse. Frequently, the study shows, those who exploited the elderly for money did so through threats, deceptive practices or by preying on the seniors' emotions.

Also, the researcher said, the current economic downturn could be a cause of the financial abuse of elders.

According to the Virginia Tech study, senior citizens in the United States have nearly $3 billion each year snatched from them in financial abuse cases. That's 12 percent more than in 2008, when the estimate of loss to seniors totaled $2.6 billion.

UPI Health News, "Elder abuse acute during holidays,"Dec. 17, 2011