I have a friend who specializes in “finding bad guys.” She is a very experienced private investigator and no doubt has assisted in all kinds of searches and arrests. But recently, her comments startled me a bit. She was discussing the prevalence of elder abuse, and it deeply disturbed me.

It seems that crimes against our senior citizens are everywhere. There are the obvious forms of physical abuse, things like hitting, slapping, pushing or restraining. Then there are the psychological forms of elder abuse, things that take the form of shouting or demeaning of the older folks, humiliating them or just making them feel disrespected.

There is sexual abuse that can range from forcing someone to participate in conversations of a sexual nature to being forced into sexual activity. There is financial abuse when someone deprives the older person of their property or money. And of course, there is the general neglect, ignoring the real needs of the elderly among us.

Some statistics (these may be a bit dated), suggest that 23% of these cases take place in a residential care facility. But astonishingly, 64% of this kind of abuse takes place in the family home!

At the heart of these mean-spirited activities is a lack of understanding of how God truly cares for the elderly. He often couples their needs in the same sentence as caring for orphans. Abandoned children and the widows are at the top of His list for care and concern. He is deeply focused on the most vulnerable among us.

Throughout the scripture, God declares that He is the defender of the less fortunate. He tells us to plead the case of widow (Isa. 1:17). He reminds us to visit the widow in their affliction (James 1:27). And He urges us to provide the finances for the fatherless and widow in Deut. 26:12.

God sums up His attitude about caring for the elderly in Exodus 22:22, “Do not take advantage of a widow or orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused…”

So, here’s the assignment for you and me this week: let’s look around our world and make a note of the older folks we find there. Do they have a need we can meet? Would they enjoy some company? Do they need a ride somewhere? Can we shop for them? Or at the very least, can we stop and have a conversation?

The elderly are vulnerable. We can be their protectors. Shields up!