NCJ Number
146702
Journal
Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (1993) Pages: 7-25
Date Published
1993
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The author reviews the literature on elder abuse in Britain since the first acknowledgment of the issue in 1975, through 1992.
Abstract
The history is divided into two periods: 1975 to 1988, and 1989 to 1992. In the early days, the term "granny battering" was used to designate ill treatment of elderly persons. In 1980, a researcher identified seven signposts: 1) physical or mental dependency on a relative responsible for caring; 2) Poor family communication aggravated by confusion of the elderly person; 3) A substantial change in the lifestyle of the caregiver; 4) Resentment at elder- younger role reversal in terms of who gives and who receives care; 5) History of repeated falls; 6) Bruising; and 7) Cramped housing conditions. In a general absence of research in Britain throughout the rest of the decade, these signposts dominated the field. The year 1989 marked the beginning of a new era in the study of elder abuse, not because of a new wave of published research--which happened in 1990--but because elder abuse came to be seen as a more complex and intricate issue than previous writings had implied. Concepts of vulnerability and of family-caregiving relationships have played a prominent role in recent research and need to be clarified, especially to the extent that caregiver-receiver vulnerability and abuse can be mutual--that is, both parties inflict pain on each other. Based on a survey of 593 elderly persons, national estimates of elderly abuse in 1992 were as follows: Physical abuse, 94,000 to 505,000; verbal abuse, 561,000 to 1,123,000; and financial abuse, 94,000 to 505,000. 51 references