Hidden, painful crimes

He was spanked when he wet the bed, refused to eat his lunch or strayed from his home.

Each time, she'd smack him, shake her finger "no" and tell him not to do it again.

Eventually, a neighbor spotted his bruises and notified authorities.

But the victim investigators interviewed was no child. He was 85 years old, and the alleged abuser was his 79-year-old wife.

Abuse of the elderly and the disabled is one of the most "hidden" societal crimes — often a family's dirty little secret tough to expose and even tougher to prosecute. Nationally, officials estimate that for every incident of domestic violence/elder abuse that is reported, there are as many as 13 more where victims suffer in silence.

"They say it is supposed to be the golden years, but the elderly people we see wouldn't describe their life that way," said Mark Perry, a lead investigator with the state's Division of Adult Protective Services.

Much like law enforcement officials, state investigators probing abuse or neglect of elderly or disabled adults are often the front-line responders, given the task of sorting out myriad circumstances that can range from financial exploitation or caretaker neglect to physical or even sexual abuse.

But the cases are often difficult — involving victims who may be uncooperative, families who resent the intrusion and other agencies that say the evidence of wrongdoing doesn't rise to the level of a crime.

A husband suffering from age-related dementia may not remember all the times he was hit by his spouse, and even if he does, he likely would be unwilling to pursue charges against the woman he's been married to for more than 60 years.

A mother who trusts her son enough to give him control of the checkbook to pay the bills is reluctant to take him to court when the account is drained and the mortgage is two months in arrears.

Stealing the inheritance

Financial exploitation is the fastest growing crime against elderly or disabled adults, said Ron Stromberg, an assistant director with the state Division of Aging. While still just 18 percent of the state's case load, it is increasingly becoming more common.