Elder Abuse and Neglect: Treatment Issues (From Violence Hits Home: Comprehensive Treatment Approaches to Domestic Violence, P 278-292, 1990, Sandra M. Stith, Mary Beth Williams, et al., -- See NCJ-128537)

• NCJ Number: 128553
• Author(s): M J Quinn
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Springer Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Elder abuse and neglect are the most recent forms of domestic maltreatment to emerge as social problems. Elder abuse and neglect are difficult for most people to understand, primarily because they think of the phenomenon as occurring only in nursing homes. However, most older people rely on those closest to them in managing activities of daily living.

Abstract

The caregiver may not be capable of being a caregiver or may become stressed, the family may be one where physical violence has always been common, or greed on the part of a family member may result in an elder being financially taken advantage of or literally robbed. The emergence of this social problem has raised four main responses: (1) denial or minimization of problem; (2) viewing all abusers as pathological; (3) blaming the victim for the abuse or neglect; and (4) bewilderment over defining the boundaries of abuse and neglect. The types of elder abuse and neglect are physical, psychological, financial, and violation of rights. There are still many unanswered questions surrounding this phenomenon including what is and is not abuse and how to intervene in the caregiving system. 21 references