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Elder Abuse pp 495–522Cite as

Elder Abuse and Culture: Latino Anthropological and Ethnographic Experiences

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Abstract

Different cultures have assigned the elderly different places in society. In recent decades, the elderly population has grown in number and diversity. At present, prejudice based on age (ageism) must be a priority objective for social and health policies. The combination of ageism and aging society generates the worrying reality of elder abuse lies. However, there are variations between countries in terms of the norms that influence behavior, attitudes, and relationships, both in society in general and within the family. A critical area that continues to be understudied is elder abuse in Latin American/Latin European countries and Latino families. The problem has at last begun to surface and although several studies have been made and different measures adopted much remains to be done. Undoubtedly, the keyword continues to be prevention. The best way to avoid serious cases of maltreatment is to provide old people, families, institutions, and the professionals involved with sufficient resources to limit the exhaustion associated with providers of care, precariousness, and lack of sensitivity, and to set to work on generating positive attitudes in society toward the old age.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Research into Aging, Department of Legal Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute (IMIB-Arrixaca), Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, School of Medicine, University of Murcia, E-30100, Murcia, Spain

    María D. Pérez-Cárceles

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  1. María D. Pérez-Cárceles
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Correspondence to María D. Pérez-Cárceles .

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  1. Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA

    XinQi Dong

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Pérez-Cárceles, M.D. (2017). Elder Abuse and Culture: Latino Anthropological and Ethnographic Experiences. In: Dong, X. (eds) Elder Abuse. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47504-2_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47504-2_23

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