Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America

Front Cover

Since the late 1970s when Congressman Claude Pepper held widely publicized hearings on the mistreatment of the elderly, policy makers and practitioners have sought ways to protect older Americans from physical, psychological, and financial abuse. Yet, during the last 20 years fewer than 50 articles have addressed the shameful problem that abusersā€"and sometimes the abused themselvesā€"want to conceal.

Elder Mistreatment in an Aging America takes a giant step toward broadening our understanding of the mistreatment of the elderly and recommends specific research and funding strategies that can be used to deepen it. The book includes a discussion of the conceptual, methodological, and logistical issues needed to create a solid research base as well as the ethical concerns that must be considered when working with older subjects. It also looks at problems in determination of a report's reliability and the role of physicians, EMTs, and others who are among the first to recognize situations of mistreatment.

Elder Mistreatment in an Aging America will be of interest to anyone concerned about the elderly and ways to intervene when abuse is suspected, including family members, caregivers, and advocates for the elderly. It will also be of interest to researchers, research sponsors, and policy makers who need to know how to advance our knowledge of this problem.

 

Contents

Executive Summary
1
1 Introduction
9
2 Concepts Definitions and Guidelines for Measurement
34
3 A Theoretical Model of Elder Mistreatment
60
4 The Occurrence of Elder Mistreatment
71
5 Risk Factors for Elder Mistreatment
88
6 Screening and Case Identification in Clinical Settings
104
7 Evaluating Interventions
121
APPENDIX B Analysis of Elder Abuse and Neglect Definitions Under State Law
181
History and Concepts
238
APPENDIX D Biographical Sketches
249
Epidemiological Assessment Methodology
261
11 Ethical and Policy Issues in Research on Elder Abuse and Neglect
303
12 The Clinical and Medical Forensics of Elder Abuse and Neglect
339
13 Financial Abuse of the Elderly in Domestic Settings
382
What Is Known and What Information Is Needed?
446

8 Research Ethics
140
9 Moving Forward
150
References
153
APPENDIX A Elder Mistreatment Measures and Studies
165
Lessons from Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Initiatives
501
Index
527
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