Frailty and Perceived Financial Exploitation: Findings from the Finance, Cognition, and Health in Elders Study.

Many older adults who are cognitively intact experience financial exploitation (FE), and the reasons for this are poorly understood. Data were gathered from 37 older adults ( age = 69.51, education = 15.89, 62% female) from the Finance, Cognition, and Health in Elders Study (FINCHES). Twenty-four older adults who self-reported FE were demographically-matched according to age, education, race, and MoCA performance to thirteen older adults who denied experiencing FE. Participants completed the Tilburg Frailty Inventory. FE participants reported greater total frailty ( = 2.06, .04) when compared to non-FE participants. Post-hoc analyses revealed that FE participants endorsed greater physical frailty ( = 89, .03), specifically poorer sensory functioning (hearing and vision). Findings suggest frailty is associated with FE in old age and may represent a target for intervention programs for the financial wellbeing of older adults.