• Elder abuse: The media report addresses one or more cases of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment of an elder (however those terms are defined by state law and/or the journalist) living in any setting. Although some states define "elder" as someone 65 or older, this database uses the age cutoff of 60. Cases that may have been perpetrated by a stranger are also included in this category, since in practice it is often difficult to find the line between "stranger," "acquaintance," and "caregiver."
• Vulnerable adult abuse: The media report addresses one or more cases of abuse of an adult with disabilities under the age of 60 living in any setting. (Note that this means that even in states where "elder" is defined as 65+, an article about the sexual assault of a 63-year-old developmentally disabled person may be categorized in this database as "elder abuse.")
• Self-neglect: Although self-neglect cases typically make up the majority of adult protective services caseload in states that investigate this type of abuse, articles about self-neglect have proven to be surprisingly rare. We therefore created a separate category to facilitate finding these articles in the database.
• Nursing homes: Because a particular interest of many people is abuse and neglect in nursing home settings, articles that directly or indirectly address abuse there are so marked.
• Institutions (not nursing homes): Many adults with disabilities and elders reside in facilities such as foster homes, residential centers, and other staffed institutional facilities that are not nursing homes. Because abuse in such settings is often handled differently than abuse occurring in a private home or nursing home, such articles are separately categorized.
• Prosecution: This category is marked whenever a case has gone -- or is in the process of going -- through the courts. Both civil and criminal cases are included. This category also includes regulatory enforcement actions. (Members of ASAAPS can access ASAAPS' list of completed prosecutions by clicking here.)
• Services: Articles that are devoted to some service or program designed to prevent or address vulnerable adult and/or elder abuse (or that incidentally contain significant descriptions of how such services work) receive this categorization.
• Legislation: A media report that discusses a pending legislative initiative or new law that affects survivors or potential victims of elder abuse or vulnerable adult abuse.

Entries also include, where available, the media report's author and his or her email address.