The recent allegation that 104-year-old Brooke Astor (a multimillionaire who, for decades, was one of New York’s foremost socialites and philanthropists) was living in squalor made for juicy media headlines. But few reporters went beyond the headlines to focus on the bigger story: The growing elder-abuse crisis in the United States.

Here are some of the facts:

• As many as 5 million elderly Americans are injured, exploited, or mistreated every year by someone on whom they depend for care or protection according to the U. S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.
• For every one case of abuse reported to authorities, about five go unreported, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.