Elder Abuse in Europe: An Overview of Recent Developments

ABSTRACT

Elder abuse is a global phenomenon. Despite recognition and action several decades ago in a number of countries, in many others the phenomena of abuse and neglect have been much more recently identified as in need of attention. This brief will discuss the situation relating to responses to and interventions in elder abuse that have been evolving in a number of countries in the European region, which are at different stages of development. The examples provided will assist in meeting the worldwide challenge that elder abuse presents.     

Experiences of adolescent mothers in Costa Rica and the role of parental support

ABSTRACT

Adolescent pregnancy is often thought of as a social problem, one that can cause the adolescent mother hardship, including poverty, low-educational attainment, and housing instability. Although much research has been conducted about adolescent pregnancy in the developed world, less has considered adolescent pregnancy in the developing world. This qualitative study focuses on women who were impoverished in Costa Rica who had been pregnant in adolescence. The goal of the study was to gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of the mothers, as well as the kinds of support they received during and after the pregnancy. The research sample consisted of 22 female participants who were impoverished and had experienced an unintended pregnancy in adolescence. The key finding from this study was that parental support was the most important factor in mitigating adolescent experiences of stress and negative feelings about their choices related to the pregnancy. The study has implications for the understanding of the experiences of women who are vulnerable with respect to adolescent pregnancies in Latin America and for Latina migrants to the United States.     

Elder Abuse in Residential Settings in Sweden

ABSTRACT

To investigate frequencies and types of elder abuse occurring in residential settings in two municipal areas of Sweden, nursing staff were asked to answer a questionnaire; 499 responded. The findings indicated that elder abuse involving the staff did occur. Eleven percent of the staff knew of situations of elder abuse and two percent admitted that they themselves had been abusive towards an elderly resident. Psychological and physical abuse related to caring activities were most common. In the specific situations reported, the abusers were mostly characterised as hot-tempered, exhausted, and burned out. The abused people were often mentally and/or physically handicapped and generally over 80 years old. Feelings such as powerlessness, anger towards the abuser, and compassion for the abused person were reported. To cope with the situation, they talked to each other or to the manager. They recommended more education and support as the main preventive strategy.     

Elder Abuse in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on violence and abuse within society generally. Following a focus in the United Kingdom (UK) on child abuse in the 1970s and domestic violence in the 1980s, in the 1990s the abuse and neglect of older people began to elicit concern. The initial focus of interest was of situations arising in the domestic setting. More recently, however, much needed attention has shifted to situations involving institutional settings. This paper will discuss abuse and neglect occurring in the UK. It aims to provide a brief overview of the status of current knowledge concerning abuse of older people followed by a discussion of some of the issues relating to the prevention of abuse and neglect from a UK perspective. An exploration of some of the issues involved will contribute to our understanding of abuse and neglect of older people in the UK.     

Elder Abuse: Feminist and Ageist Perspectives

ABSTRACT

Elder abuse research reports little consensus regarding gender and age. This project examined 99 incidents of elder abuse by an adult child and 86 incidents of elder abuse by a spouse, and compared the groups using the variables: gender, age, and incidents. The results are discussed from a feminist and age perspective. Differences between the groups were found, namely that elder abuse by an adult child is most likely to be financial abuse. Traditional ideas about women and men, as well as ideas about the nature of the old were found to be factors in elder abusive relationships.     

Definitions of Elder Abuse in an Italian Sample

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to analyze definitions of elder abuse in an Italian convenience sample. Fifty-three Italian participants (15 males, 38 females) provided examples of mild, moderate, and extreme mistreatment of older individuals by their adult children. Analyses were conducted to identify frequently mentioned types of abuse and to determine how severe they were judged to be. Also examined was the extent to which gender and age contributed to response patterns. Most examples of extreme elder abuse made reference to physical abuse and neglect, while references to psychological aggression and neglect predominated as examples of moderate and mild abuse. Examples of neglect appeared with equal frequency at all levels of severity, but physical aggression was mentioned primarily as a form of extreme abuse, and psychological aggression was mentioned more frequently in examples of moderate and mild abuse. The most frequently identified types of specific abuse were abandonment, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, and psychological neglect. When giving examples of extreme abuse, females mentioned more instances of financial exploitation than males. They also gave more examples of verbal aggression and lack of respect as instances of moderate abuse and behaviors reflecting power or control as examples of mild abuse. A statistically significant negative relationship was found between age and the number of examples given of particular types of mistreatment at each of the levels of severity of abuse.     

Female Tourists, Casual Sex, and HIV Risk in Costa Rica

This paper describes the involvement of young female tourists who visit rural Costa Rica with gringueros (i.e., local men who actively seek relationships with foreign women), and explores the implications of these relations, which gringueros see as outlets for sexual adventure, for sexual behaviors that could contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The findings highlight the need to use tourism-related locales to implement HIV/AIDS awareness strategies targeted at women tourists, gringueros, and other local youth.

Elder Abuse: The Canadian Experience

ABSTRACT

Abuse and neglect of older adults occurs in all Canadian communities and solutions require the coordinated efforts of society at large. Amelioration entails more than a legislative approach. Prevention of this growing problem is a social responsibility that requires networking and collaboration between different disciplines in all sectors of the community. This article will discuss elder abuse in Canada from a historical perspective, as well as current legislation, model programs, and research initiatives. It is intended to allow for comparison from the various countries presented in this volume. Hopefully, readers will find some models, or ideas, they may wish to explore or even replicate within their own jurisdictions.     

Elder Abuse Coverage in Newspapers: Regional Differences and its Comparison to Child-Abuse Coverage

ABSTRACT

Dozens of studies have examined how the press portrays crime. Most of these studies focus on some aspect of the criminal or the response to the event. Few have considered the portrayal of victims and even fewer have examined the way the media portrays older victims. To fill this void, this study examines (1) whether elder abuse coverage varies across newspapers and (2) how the extent of elder abuse coverage compares to child-abuse coverage. Results indicate that regional differences appear to exist and child abuse receives far more coverage than elder abuse. Implications are provided.     

Visibility Blues: Gender Issues in Elder Abuse in Institutional Settings

ABSTRACT

This article argues that elder abuse in institutional as opposed to domestic settings remains invisible because institutions for elders are mainly all-female spaces where ageism and sexism converge and clients and workers are economically and socially disadvantaged. A general culture of violence that increasingly legitimates the everydayness of abuse and that conforms to dominant gender stereotypes refuses to investigate abuse of women by women. Research is needed into the different kinds of abuse committed in institutional settings by women. Staff and clients need to be enabled to report abuse and effective measures for combating it put in place.     

Elder Abuse and Neglect in an Urban Chinese Population

ABSTRACT

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of elder abuse and neglect in an urban Chinese population. A cross-sectional study was performed in a major urban medical center in NanJing, China. A total of 412 participants completed the survey and 145 (35%) participants screened positive for elder abuse and neglect. The mean age of the victims was 69 years and 59% were male. Caregiver neglect was the most common form of abuse, followed by financial exploitation, psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and abandonment. Thirty-six percent of the victims suffered multiple forms of abuse and neglect. In the logistical regression analyses of the data, female gender, lower education and lower income were demographic risk factors associated with elder abuse and neglect. A better understanding of these and additional risk factors associated with elder abuse and neglect in older Chinese people is needed.     

Making Strategic Communications Work to Prevent Elder Abuse

ABSTRACT

With more and more noise hitting the public, more tasks to accomplish, and limited resources, elder abuse prevention organizations must speak with one voice and act in solid partnership. This article touches on processes, systems, procedures, and resources necessary to develop strategic communications plans that are single in strategy and consistent in objectives and image. While the problem of elder abuse has been primarily covered in the academic and health professional press, this article focuses on the usage of mainstream marketing and communications principles to offer suggestions on how to achieve broad national awareness of the issues.     

Implicit Theories of Elder Abuse in a Sample of European-American Descent

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine implicit theories of elder abuse in a sample of men and women of European-American descent. Seventy-six participants, ranging in age from 17 to 79, filled out an open-ended qualitative survey asking them to give examples of behaviors considered in their culture to be extremely abusive, moderately abusive, and mildly abusive in the context of an adult child-older adult parent dyad. Results indicated that various types of physical aggression and neglect (with an emphasis on physical neglect) were the most common examples of extreme abuse. Psychological aggression was the most common example of moderate abuse, and forms of psychological abuse and neglect were the most frequent examples of mild abuse. Gender differences were found, with females more often mentioning examples of neglect than males. Sexual and economic abuse did not seem to be commonly identified forms of mistreatment in implicit theories of elder abuse.     

Times of Transition: Elder Abuse and Neglect in Israel

ABSTRACT

The present paper addresses the advancement of research, policies, legislation, and practice experiences designed to deal with the phenomenon of elder abuse and neglect in Israel in times of transition. The paper presents a short overview of the demographic scene, reflecting population characteristics and needs that impact care giving as well as elder abuse and neglect. The developments of scientific knowledge and its accumulation, especially the empirical data from the first national survey on elder abuse and neglect are discussed. Further, legislative developments relating to four generational laws and the advancement of policies and innovative practice experiences are described and analyzed. Finally, future challenges in the field are identified.     

Preventing Elder Abuse and Neglect Through Advance Legal Planning

Recent trends in adult protective service literature and legislation reflect a growing interest in advance planning to prevent elder abuse and neglect. This article provides basic planning guidelines and discusses in general terms the most important legal planning documents: the living will, the durable power of attorney for health care, the durable power of attorney, and the last will and testament. It also presents in general terms potential legal, medical, and financial planning tools that may function as alternatives to guardianship. Both the benefits and limitation of these documents and tools are discussed.     

Searching for Elder Abuse: A Systematic Review of Database Citations

ABSTRACT

The aim of this review was to describe trends and patterns in elder abuse literature and research. All citations in PUB MED, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases located using the search term “elder abuse” were retrieved (3,059 citations) and 2,418 unique references were identified. Using manifest content analysis, non-research material (1,986 references) was sorted by type and research references (34 dissertations and 398 research articles) were categorized. Research article references most commonly: (1) investigated prevalence, typology, and definitions of elder abuse; (2) utilized quantitative methodology; (3) had first author affiliations to medicine, nursing, and social sciences; and (4) sampled populations of professionals, personnel, cases, or charts. The USA was most frequently listed of 24 identified countries of origin. Elder abuse research shows lack of diversity, slow increase of qualitative research, limited involvement of older persons and family members as participants, and minimal research from developing countries. This review contributes to knowledge valuable for researchers and experts planning future studies or elder abuse projects.     

Elderly Prisoners: A Growing and Forgotten Group Within Correctional Systems Vulnerable to Elder Abuse

ABSTRACT

There are over 2.1 million people incarcerated in the nation's jails and prisons. Additionally, close to 600,000 prisoners are released annually into communities across the country. Many prisoners and those released from prisons are elderly. The purpose of this article is to examine the systemic abuse and neglect experienced by elderly prisoners while they are incarcerated and when they are released from prison. Most correctional systems have inadequate resources, processes, and personnel to manage the elderly population inside and outside of prisons. In addition to providing a definition of “elderly prisoner,” two specific problems–prison health care and prisoner re-entry–are examined in the article. The article concludes with recommendations for both policy and research on how best we can further understand and address the multiple needs and concerns faced by elderly prisoners.     

A Survey on Elder Abuse at One Native American Tribe

Elderly Navajo people and their families were surveyed to discover the extent and types of elder abuse among them. Neglect was the most prominent type of abuse. What appeared to be economic exploitation was also quite prevalent, but was in part defined by them as their cultural privilege and duty to share with their families. Abuse tended to be especially associated with suddenness of becoming dependent, having mental problems, family crises due to suddenly having caregiving responsibilities for which they were unprepared and personal problems of primary caregivers.     

Elder Abuse: Risk Factors and Use of Case Data to Improve Policy and Practice

ABSTRACT

Countering the generally reactive community approach to prevention and treatment of elder abuse, this study employs analysis of local elder abuse case data to estimate the incidence of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation and to measure the risk factors, including co-location of other forms of abuse, that predict elder abuse in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The authors also compare the model of intervention used in Florida and elsewhere to best practice models that incorporate elements of domestic violence treatment models. They present a series of specific recommendations for improving local abuse data-collection, analysis, and training so that local policy makers, planners, and practitioners can make proactive, community-specific, culturally-sensitive preventive efforts effective. The findings and recommendations have direct relevance for policy and practice in any community in the United States.