Maltreatment of the Elderly at Home and in Institutions: Extent, Risk Factors, and Policy Recommendations (From Legislative Agenda for an Aging Society: 1988 and Beyond. Proceedings of a Congressional Forum by the Select Committee on Aging/House of Representatives and the Special Committee on Aging/

• NCJ Number: 129522
• Author(s): K Pillemer
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 25 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Research findings are summarized on the extent of domestic abuse and neglect of the elderly at home and by relatives and their maltreatment in nursing homes in relation to current knowledge about factors that place elderly persons at risk of such victimization.

Abstract

Case examples are presented to provide graphic evidence of the forms that such mistreatment can take. Recent research and policy analysis supports several fundamental points about domestic maltreatment of the elderly: no precise definition of elder abuse exists; there is no reliable evidence that the incidence of elder abuse is increasing; the prevalence of elder abuse may be lower than previously reported; a substantial proportion of elder abuse is spouse abuse; deviance and dependency of abusers most likely is the major cause of elder abuse; elder abuse can have serious outcomes; and mandatory reporting laws are not an appropriate answer to the problem of elder abuse. Characteristics of nursing home staff members who are more likely than others to engage in inappropriate patient management practices are identified. Intervention strategies for each type of victimization are outlined. 3 tables and 41 references