BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – It’s common for seniors who live alone to reach a point where they can no longer adequately care for themselves.
In fact, the phenomenon is so prevalent that those working in the eldercare field have a term for it: self-neglect. It leads to more calls to adult protective services agencies nationwide than any form of elder abuse.
As rates of isolation increase among older Americans, the trend is especially worrisome in Vermont, which has the third-oldest population in the nation and the largest percentage of older people living in rural areas, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Darren Perron spoke with Seven Days’ Rachel Hellman, who reported this week as part of the newspaper’s ongoing series, “This Old State.”
