Preventing the abuse of the elderly by their family
A group of researchers have produced a paper which provides a brief overview of the international and national literature addressing the abuse of older people by family members and focuses on definitions and understandings of this abuse, the types, prevalence and the nature of the abuse, the links between domestic violence and abuse of older people, and the effects of abuse on older people.
The paper is titled Preventing the abuse of older people by their family members.
It briefly summarises some of the key issues identified in the literature, including the impact of ageism in Australia, the abuse of older people was recognised by some health professionals as a problem in the late 1980s but there is still a general lack of professional and public awareness, underreporting and poor recognition of the problem by many service providers in spite of nearly two decades of overseas research which has confirmed its significance as a social, medical and legal problem.
The increasing ageing population in Western societies and increased demand for family care-giving are likely to contribute to a rise in all forms of abuse of older people.
The causes of abuse of older people are complex and multifaceted, and may encompass physical, psychological, social, medical, legal and environmental factors and multiple systems.
Recent South Australian research identified many barriers older people face in reporting abuse and in fleeing abusive situations, including:
- diminished cognitive capacity;
- mental or physical disability;
- restricted mobility;
- lack of awareness of what constitutes abuse;
- lack of knowledge of their rights or resources;
- social isolation or fear of alienation;
- the need to preserve a relationship;
- dependency on others;
- stigma and shame;
- literacy and language barriers;
- religious, generational and cultural barriers;
- fear of reprisal from the abuser; and
- a perceived or actual lack of options or access to services.
Abuse of older people requires psychological, medical, social, political and legal interventions and actions.
The research concludes that abuse of older people needs interdisciplinary understanding and a coordinated, multiple service system response to the victim, the perpetrator and the social network surrounding the victim.
A comprehensive service response system needs to draw from a range of theories and approaches – in particular holistic, critical, feminist and strengths-oriented, empowering approaches which address the social, political, economic, legal and cultural context and provide a continuum of service options tailored to meet the specific and unique needs of older people at risk.
In particular professionals and researchers from the ageing and domestic violence sectors need to engage in more dialogue and collaboration as they have much to learn from each other.
The paper is available from the Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearinghouse, The University of New South Wales at http://www.adfvc.unsw.edu.au
