I. Problem – Defining Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse When it comes to older women, the problem is that there is a serious lack of distinction between elder abuse and domestic violence. This discrepancy creates confusion about which agency should report instances of intentional or mandated abuse (Kilbane and Spira, 2010). Additionally, it is due to reporting errors that victims of abuse may not receive services appropriate to the type of abuse (Kilbane & Spira, 2010), indicating “…a lack of centralized reporting of case… ". (Kilbane and Spira, 2010, p. 165). Whether an abused older person chooses to enroll in an adult protection agency or domestic violence program often depends on their age and whether or not the abuser is related or known to the person. victim (Kilbane and Spira, 2010). The concept of being known to the perpetrator is similar to American law regarding child sexual abuse, whereas, according to Fong and Cardoso (2010), child sexual abuse takes many forms; however, some forms of child sexual abuse do not entitle the child victim to receive services provided by the child welfare agency. To receive benefits from the child welfare agency, “…the perpetrator of sexual abuse must be responsible for the care and custody of the child” (p. 313). It can be argued that there is a moral failure of the legislature to pass laws that do not provide necessary protections for older women from abusers. The requirement that the perpetrator be known to the older victim seems unfair to the older woman. For example, older women suffer from dementia which causes them to forget the person/caregiver (Reingold, 2006). In this scenario, the perpetrator of the abuse may not be known to the victim...... middle of paper ......g The center uses the call log to analyze the data. The only limitation of the study is that it failed to mention the costs associated with obtaining services. And it did not mention any demographic variables regarding the race, average age, income levels, and mental health status (at the time of admission) of the population served. According to Cummings (2009), upon admission, clients were suffering greatly from daily activities and had recently been hospitalized for psychiatric problems. It would be unfair to assume that the present study took any of these issues into account. The study was limited to revealing this relevant information. Better knowledge of the patient during intake may allow for greater accuracy in determining the appropriate agency to refer the potential client. Apart from that, the program seems very comprehensive in its service delivery..