Elder and child Abuse. Tragic. Horrifying. Unthinkable. Yet, it???s estimated hundreds of thousands of elders and children are abused each year. Estimated because our picture of elder and child abuse is limited, due to the hidden and complex nature of the problem and the failure of healthcare workers and others to report elder and child abuse consistently. It can be hard to spot the more subtle forms of neglect and abuse. They???re often unrecognized, because victims tend to be isolated. By learning to recognize elder or child abuse and neglect, by learning how to respond to the cases and by committing yourself to safeguarding clients in your care.