The National Academy Press (NAP) has provided the Internet community access to a prepublication copy of the book Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America. Recent research has shown that between one and two million Americans age 65 or older have been abused and mistreated by someone (either a relative or caregiver) responsible for their care and/or protection. Although a frequent occurrence, little research has been conducted to examine the causes and effective means of preventing mistreatment of the elderly. By highlighting some of its causes and consequences, this report intends to bring forth a better understanding of the nature and scope of elderly mistreatment in the hopes that the information will prompt "the development of informed policies and programs" to help combat this problem. This document is viewable in HTML format and consists of nine chapters and four appendixes.