Social Work and Criminal Justice Responses to Elder Abuse in New York City (From Helping Battered Women: New Perspectives and Remedies, P 44-66, 1996, Albert R Roberts, ed. -- See NCJ-163226)

• NCJ Number: 163230
• Author(s): P Brownell
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 23 pages
• Sale Source: Oxford University Press, Inc
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Elder abuse is a social problem of increasing concern to gerontologists and others in the helping professions; a 1990 report by the U.S. House Select Committee on Aging indicates that 1 of every 20 older Americans may be a victim of elder abuse.

Abstract

Elder abuse is defined as physical, psychological, and/or financial abuse or neglect. Because elder abuse is considered to be severely underreported as a form of domestic violence, identifying a means of case finding becomes important. The mandatory reporting of elder abuse has been legislated in several States, but research on its effectiveness as a means of detecting elder abuse is limited. Adult protective service programs operate in every State to serve mentally and physically impaired adults, including older domestic violence victims. These programs provide an important means of detecting and intervening in situations involving the abuse of older adults by relatives and significant others. As defined in New York's Social Services Law, even involuntary protective services may be provided to judgment- impaired adults who cannot protect themselves from abuse and exploitation by others. Findings of a study of police complaint reports involving crimes against the elderly in New York City indicated that the median age of elder abuse victims was 69 years, that victims were overwhelmingly female, that physical abuse was more common among white victims and abusers, that psychological abuse and financial abuse were more common among black victims and abusers, and that slightly more elders lived with as opposed to apart from their abusers. The use of police complaint reports as a source of information about elder abuse and the willingness of domestic violence victims to prosecute are discussed. Case management of abused elderly persons and their families is addressed, particularly in the context of crisis intervention. Policy implications of elder abuse findings for law enforcement and social work are considered. Case examples involving the abuse of elderly persons are appended. 27 references