Gerontophilia: Sex Offenses Against the Elderly & the Impact of the "Relative Stranger"

Sex related offenses are classified as felony criminal acts. As we progress to a society that is more and more inclined to care for an aging parent, the realization that sex offenses, against the elderly, are a concern for some families.

Sex offenders, while traditionally believed to rape or sexually molest children and adults, are often not thought to sexually offend the elderly. However, much focus is now turned to the sex offenses involving gerontophilia, a sexual desire for the aged or elderly.

Because the sexual assault of an elderly individuals is unique, the sentencing of this criminal act usually carries a set of unique punishments, as defined by the state in which the crime was committed. Because many victim-oriented sexual assault recovery programs are designed to meet the needs of children or young women, there is a growing set of sex assault recovery classes that are now designed to meet the needs of the elderly.

In assessing the perpetrators of these sexual assaults against the elderly, most describe themselves as "relative strangers" in that they are familiar with the elderly victim but, yet, the elderly victim does not know the perpetrator. In addition, the act of sexual assault is not intended to live out a fantasy or act out a sexual aggression but, instead, is believed to be directly related to the perpetrator's own disrespect for women, especially that of his own mother and, therefore, uses the elderly woman as a surrogate to act out his revenge.

Understanding these safety concerns for the elderly, many families are choosing to keep their aging parents in the home with them. Feeling this is the best option in terms of health and safety. However, in many cases of elder sexual assault, the assault does occur while the victim is at home, often alone when other family members have gone to work and school.

As the adult child of an aging parent, if you are considering the various health and safety concerns associated with caring for an aging parent, be certain to address the issues involving stranger abuse. Because gerontophilia is a growing phenomenon of study among geriatric psychologists, much information is anticipated to be released about the measures for safety, recovery and prevention in sexual assault against our elder population. With many assaults occurring in the home of the victim, using standard sex offender stereotypes do not seem to apply to the perpetuators of this crime against our aging parents and the aging population.