Marie-Therese Connolly, a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson Center and former coordinator of the Elder Justice and Nursing Home Initiative of the United States Department of Justice.

The abuse of senior citizens has reached disturbing levels across the country and shows no signs of abating. Mistreatment of elders occurs in both private homes and professional institutions and involves both physical and mental oppression. It is still, however, a largely silent scandal that lacks the national attention and outrage that child abuse and domestic violence first garnered in decades past. Marie-Therese Connolly describes the dimensions of the issue and the need for effective legislation.