Awareness of formal and informal sources of help for victims of elder abuse among Korean American and Caucasian elders in Los Angeles

This study examines and compares the awareness of formal and informal sources of help for victims of elder abuse and the factors that might influence this awareness among Korean American and Caucasian elders. The study sample consisted of 95 Korean American and 90 Caucasian elders age 60 or older living in Los Angeles County, California in 1997. It shows that overall, Korean American respondents were significantly less aware of the four general and specific sources of help measured-general formal and informal sources, the Elder Abuse Hotline, and the Adult Protective Services (APS). Findings further suggest that most respondents in both groups have little or no knowledge of the two elder abuse-specific sources of formal help, the Hotline and APS. Logistic regression analysis on 12 independent variables reveal ethnicity and income as significant predictors of respondents' awareness of available help. The implications of the study results for strategies for early intervention and prevention of elder abuse are also discussed.