Unit 1 - Florida Council Against Sexual Violence

• 30% of victims 65 or older reported the assault to
LE.
• In one study by Ramsey-Klawsnik, in a third of the
cases studied, sexually abusive acts were witnessed
by others.
• Older victims are more likely to sustain physical
injuries due to changes related to aging. Injuries that
would be minor in a younger person could be life
threatening to an older person.
• According to a Virginia study of sexual abuse cases
substantiated by APS workers:
• 12.2% of older victims were assaulted in their
homes.
• 2.4% were assaulted in adult care residences.
• 70.7% were assaulted in nursing homes.
• 14.6 % were assaulted in the perpetrator’s home.
Discuss and answer participants’ questions. Be sure to point
out the facts that dispel the myths that were part of the quiz
taken earlier in the unit.
Show slide, Covert and Overt Stages
Slide:
Covert and Overt
Stages
Speaking Points
• When the perpetrator is known to the older person,
the sexual violence may progress along a continuum
from covert behaviors to overt behavior.
Draw a vertical line on a blank flipchart page with an arrow
pointing up. As you discuss the next points, list some of the
examples on the page starting with least extreme, covert
behaviors at the bottom and moving up to more extreme, overt
behaviors. Use an example of an 80 year-old woman with a 25
year-old caregiver to illustrate the examples of what might
occur in the covert and overt stages.
• Covert stage –
FCASV Elder Sexual Abuse Trainer’s Guide 12
Unit 1