The Ohio Coalition for Adult Protective Services has sounded the alarm loudly and clearly on the scope of pernicious abuse against senior citizens in our state and in our community.

At a hearing last month before the state Senate Finance Committee, Teri Ruslander, chair of the coalition, laid bare the harsh reality that criminal mistreatment of our seniors remains a growth industry in Ohio. Some 38,000 cases of abuse, neglect and exploitation were reported last year, she said. And those numbers reflect a 14% annual increase in reports of neglect, an 18% increase in reports of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and a whopping 34% increase in reports of financial exploitation, she told senators working on the fiscal 2026-27 state budget.

But as disturbing as those numbers and trends are themselves, here’s the rub: Only 1 in 5 cases of abuse is actually reported to authorities, according to the Ohio Department of Aging.

Diane Howard, senior citizen chair of the Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation Equality (NOBLE) told that same committee last week that research shows about 170,000 cases of elder abuse — including thousands in the Mahoning Valley — go unreported each year in the state.

What’s more, the Division of Securities in the Ohio Department of Commerce, in an Elder Abuse Awareness Month report this week, notes over 300 scam and fraud-related complaints from older residents in 2024, a 22% increase from 2023.

Clearly those levels — or any level — of abuse and exploitation toward our vulnerable senior population are unacceptable.

If nothing additional is done, those deplorable and lamentable numbers are sure to rise simply given the demographic changes spurred on by the graying of Ohio.

The Valley is a perfect case in point. In Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Elder Justice Initiative, he projects the number of residents of Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties 60 years old and up will grow to 36% of the entire population by 2040, one of the highest growth proportions in the state.

Clearly, moving forward, the need for sustained and adequate funding and resources for the surging caseload of elder abuse cases must be considered an urgent priority.

All of which is not to say, however, that Ohio and the Mahoning Valley have not made great strides in recent years in bringing the horrors of elder abuse out of the shadows and into the mainstream of constructive public policy and action.

For example, Wallet Hub ranked Ohio fourth in the nation in its 2025 study of states with the best protections to combat elder abuse. The study credited Ohio with investing significantly in its ombudsman program, with implementing mandatory reporting laws, educational programs raising awareness of the issue and with enshrining strong legal protections.

Locally, both Mahoning and Trumbull counties boast strong Adult Protective Service agencies as well as successful Senior Service Units within their sheriff’s departments that are dedicated to minimizing harm and combatting all forms of criminal activity against seniors.

In addition, the Elder Justice Unit in Yost’s office helps protect our state’s older adults and facilitates elder abuse victims’ access to vital criminal justice services. It and other state and local agencies work overtime to spread awareness of the warning signs of potential abuse.

Those include scratches, cuts, bruises and other visible evidence of physical harm, sudden and inexplicable behavioral or mood changes, caregivers who refuse to allow visitors to see the adult alone, hazardous or unsanitary living conditions and unexplained and sudden transfers of assets or finances to another person.

If loved ones detect any of those signs, they should waste no time in seeking help. That help is at hand via the Adult Protective Services Referral Line at 855-644-6277 or the Elder Justice Unit at 800-282-0515.

This month is also critical for the future of protections against elder abuse. Advocates for the elderly have appealed successfully to state lawmakers to include an additional $2 million for Adult Protective Services agencies in the House-passed version of the state budget. That boost must be retained or increased in the Senate version and in the final blended version of the budget due on Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk by June 30.

During this Elder Abuse Awareness Month, legislators and all Ohioans must muster up more than mere awareness. This month and every month, we must act to lessen the scope of these cruel and heartless crimes that rob our state’s proud older residents of their hard-earned dollars and well-deserved dignity.