Social Perspectives on Elder Abuse

Abstract

Elder abuse has had something of a chequered history in the United Kingdom. The abuse of older people is not a new phenomenon; indeed, researchers have outlined documentary evidence in the US of the existence of such abuse in earlier times (Steinmetz, 1990; Kosberg, 1983). It is highly likely that similar evidence exists in relation to the UK for the discerning researcher to uncover. What is more problematic, however, is the extent to which, in recent times, the phenomenon of elder abuse has been recognised as a social issue worthy of attention and concern, and by whom. It is these aspects, and the more recent history of the topic, which are perhaps of greater interest and relevance here. The chapter will present the recent history of elder abuse in the UK and then move to a general consideration of the construction of social problems from the available literature. An attempt is made to compare the extent of the ‘fit’ between elder abuse and social problem construction in order to determine whether elder abuse can at present be properly considered to be a social problem in its own right, and the reasons for this situation. Possible future directions are then suggested. The second part of the chapter aims to take some of the issues raised further.