Researchers from the University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology revealed that elder abuse in low-income Latino communities goes largely unreported. 

Across all demographic groups, more than 5 million cases of elder abuse are estimated to occur annually in the United States.

More than 40 percent of Latino elders told Spanish-speaking interviewers that they had been abused or neglected in the last year - yet only 1.5 percent of victims said they had ever reported the abuse to authorities.

The findings are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 

Lead author Marguerite DeLiema said the study has revealed a much higher rate of elder abuse among the Latino community than had been previously thought. 

"This indicates that family solidarity within the Latino community does not necessarily protect older Latinos against elder abuse, as some research has suggested," DeLiema said. 

The researchers examined elder abuse that included physical or sexual abuse, psychological abuse, financial exploitation and caregiver neglect. 

Based on interviews conducted in Spanish in low-income Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles, the researchers found that 10.7 percent of elderly Latinos had been physically abused and 9 percent of elderly Latinos said they had been sexually abused in the last year. Of those reporting physical abuse, more than half indicated they had been severely physically assaulted.

Nearly 17 percent of Latino elders said they had been exploited financially and 11.7 percent said they were neglected by their caregivers. Elderly Latinos who had been in the United States longer were more likely to be abused or neglected, the study found.

Recent studies suggest that more than one in seven older adults is a victim of some type of elder abuse each year and researchers said they hope that these findings will bring greater national attention to the troubling issue of non-institutional elder abuse, particularly in areas with fewer community resources.

Researchers said their findings could lead to the development of more community interventions to raise awareness about and prevent elder abuse within Latino communities - culturally competent programs that disseminate information about elder abuse and provide older Latinos with links to services in their communities.