week 3 journal

Chapter 12

Elder Abuse

Victims

Case Example

Mickey Rooney Testifies

“I didn’t want to tell anybody.

I couldn’t muster the

courage and you have to

have courage. . . . I needed

help and I knew I needed it.

Even when I tried to speak

up, I was told to shut up and

be quiet” © Jim Young/Thomson Reuters.

WHO Definition

• “Elder abuse is a single or repeated act, or

lack of appropriate action, occurring within

any relationship where there is an

expectation of trust, which causes harm or

distress to an older person. It can be of

various forms: physical,

psychological/emotional, sexual, financial,

or simply reflect intentional or unintentional

neglect.”

Scope of the Problem

• The WHO estimates that the rate of elder abuse

across Canada, the Netherlands, the United

States, Finland, and Great Britain is between 4%

and 6%

• A recently released U.S. nationally

representative sample found that 5.1% of adults

over the age of 60 reported emotional

mistreatment, 5.2% reported financial abuse,

1.6% reported physical mistreatment, and 0.6%

reported sexual mistreatment in the past year

Elder Abuse Legislation

• 1987: The federal Older Americans Act was amended – Provides definitions of elder abuse and direct the use of

federal funds

• 2010: The Elder Justice Act – Reports on activities, accomplishments, and challenges

– Makes recommendations to congressional committees

– Provides states with resources to prevent elder abuse, increase prosecution of those who mistreat the elderly, and provide victim assistance

• All U.S. states have enacted legislation authorizing the use of adult protective services (APS) in cases of elder abuse

Types of Elder Abuse

• Physical abuse

• Neglect

• Sexual abuse

• Psychological abuse

• Financial abuse

Categories of Abusive Situations

• Spousal violence as elder abuse

• Abuse by adult children and relatives

• Institutionally based abuse

• Societal neglect

• Sexual assault

Spousal Violence as Elder Abuse

• 58% of perpetrators of elder sexual abuse were

intimate partners

• Older women were twice as likely as older men

to be killed by their spouses

• Many became wives and mothers in the pre-

feminist era

• Many older women have never lived alone

• Many have never learned independent skills at

managing finances, negotiating contracts (such

as leases), or interacting with lawyers

Abuse by Adult Children

• Role reversal if living with adult children, the

parent becomes the dependent

• Lack of autonomy of elderly person can make it

very difficult to end the abuse

• Type 1: Adult child is dependent on victim for

financial assistance, housing, and other

supports

• Type 2: Result of caregiver stress caused by the

demands of caring for an individual who may

suffer from dementia or other illnesses

Institutional Abuse

• Older adults who are abused while they are

residents of long-term-care facilities

• Most vulnerable elderly individuals

• 36% of nurses and nurse’s aides reported

having seen at least one incident of physical

abuse perpetrated by a staff member

• 10% of staff members admitted to having

committed physical abuse, and 40% admitted to

psychological abuse

Societal Neglect

• Neglectful practices

• Inadequate resources

• Poor public policies

Sexual Assault

• Typologies of sexual offenders against the

elderly – Opportunistic rapists

– Pervasive anger rapists

– Sexual-type rapists • Sexual sadistic rapists

• Sexual nonsadistic rapists

– Vindictive-type rapists

Factors Associated with Risk of

Abuse

Interventions

• Prevention programs

– Education

• Adult protection programs

– Mandatory reporting, assessment, intervention

• Domestic violence programs

– Legal advocacy, short-term emergency housing, long-term-care planning and possible admission,

and law enforcement training