I love the expression “preaching to the choir,” and it really applies to a message I received about the recent “revelation” from Augusta that most elder abuse goes unreported.

As most readers of this column would be categorized as elders, this is probably not news to us. We hope no one we know is being abused physically, emotionally or financially. Yet, every once in a while, a news brief appears that raises the issue of elder abuse, causing readers to express shock and surprise. Elder abuse is more common than most imagine, especially in a state like Maine, where 20 percent of the population is older than 60.

You would be astounded at the number of committees, coalitions and groups whose task it is to study this issue. When I look at the list of groups working on solutions to the problem, I’m amazed that any elder abuser feels safe. Still, thousands of people in their elder years fall victim every year, thousands of situations that no one reports.

Maine’s attorney general, Steve Rowe, spoke recently about the Elder Justice Training Partnership, one of 10 such programs nationwide. The partnership aims to bring Maine’s legal community and resources together to help protect the elderly in the state who may be victims of abuse. Workshops are held and many segments of the legal community are invited to participate, including law enforcement.

It is likely that local police departments may be the first to be aware of elder abuse, but it is an issue seldom publicized. Statewide, the attorney general’s office reports an estimate of more than 14,000 cases of elder abuse last year – yet 84 percent went unreported. Why? No doubt because most elder abuse happens in the family setting. In fact, it’s estimated that 70 percent of abuse – and some say much more than this – is perpetrated by family members.

“Just as in other cases of domestic or family violence, cases of elder abuse too often go unreported. Family dynamics serve to keep elder abuse hidden and victims themselves silent,” Rowe said.

Elder abuse in Maine can and has occurred in long-term care residences, retirement communities and nursing homes. It can and has occurred in our largest cities and smallest towns. Elder abuse occurs in the lives of older Maine men and women who are in the care of other family members – their spouses, their brothers or sisters, their sons, daughters and grandchildren.

The attorney general’s office has received substantiated reports of financial exploitation of elder Mainers totaling more than $22 million.

In one case from a small Maine town, a granddaughter robbed her grandmother of $400,000. The grandmother didn’t report it because she loved her granddaughter and didn’t want her to go to jail. So how did that crime come to light? The grandmother was found unconscious, outside, alone, abandoned.

Victims of elder abuse are often unable to report the crime or make a safety plan for themselves or are too afraid to tell someone. We need to pay more attention. Maine is the second most rural state in the nation, which contributes to an increased sense of isolation and distance from services.

Though the crime of elder abuse continues to be underreported, an increase in public scrutiny is raising awareness. A 2004 survey of State Adult Protective Services shows a 19.7 percent increase in reports of elder and vulnerable adult abuse and neglect, since 2000.

For more information about the Elder Justice Training Partnership, contact Project Coordinator Sharon Herrick at 373-1140, ext. 229 or e-mail Sharon.Herrick@voanne.org.

And call your local police department if you suspect an elder you know is being abused or neglected, especially if the person is living alone.