Abstract
Violence may affect everyone, even elderly people, whether man or woman. As a result of reduced physical strength, older people are rather helpless when it comes to defending themselves, and frailty, illness, and care dependency entail an increased risk for serious health damage as a result of physical violence or trauma. Elderly people mostly have more grave and long-standing effects to bear than younger victims of violence. In case of acute injuries of chronic and psychological consequences of violence, most victims do turn to medical help. However, the truth about the triggers of their suffering is often withheld, because of shame, fear, or dependence upon their tormentors, or it may not be voiced because of an underlying disease. It is therefore crucial to detect violence as the cause behind visible symptoms and complaints, not only to ensure the correct medical treatment and adequate support of victims but also to prevent further abuse.
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Notes
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The injury documentation sheet was designed by the Department of Forensics at the Medical University of Vienna (Univ. Prof. Dr. med. Andrea Berzlanovich) and implemented by the Federal Ministry of the Interior BM.I (Mag. Martina Stöffelbauer, .BK 1.4 Crime Strategy; Mag. Rudolf Gross, .BK 6.1; Dr. Jochen Rausch, amtsärztlicher Dienst; Gerhard Rubenz, .BK 6.2; Andreas Schmidl, BMI II/1/a; Oberst Harald Stöckl, BMI II/2; CI Strohmaier Manfred, .BK 1.4 Crime Strategy; ORat Dr. Hans-Peter Stückler; .BK 1.4 Crime Strategy). The board and members of the Austrian Forensics Society have accompanied this sub-project with shared responsibilities and provided medical consultation. The project was also supported by the Austrian Medical Chamber.
Further Reading
Berzlanovich, A., Schleicher, B., & Rásky, É. (2012). Gewalt gegen ältere Pflegebedürftige. Medical Tribune, Plattform Geriatrie, 39, 30.
Berzlanovich, A., Schleicher, B., & Rásky, E. (2014). Gerichtsverwertbare Dokumentation von Gewalt. Praxis Pflegen 2014. Heft 17, 19.
Berzlanovich, A., Schöpfer, J., & Keil, W. (2012). Todesfälle bei Gurtfixierungen. Dtsch Arztebl, 109(3), 27–32.
Sethi, D., Wood, S., Mitis, F., Bellis, M., Penhale, B., Iborra Marmolejo, I., et al. (2011). European report on preventing elder maltreatment. Copenhagen: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.
Wasan, A., Wootton, J., & Jamison, R. (2005). Dealing with difficult patients in your pain practice. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 30, 184–192.
World Health Organization. (2002). The Toronto declaration on the global prevention of elder abuse. Geneva.
World Health Organization. (2011). World report on disability. Geneva.
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Berzlanovich, A., Schleicher, B., Rásky, É. (2018). Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly. In: Kratcoski, P., Edelbacher, M. (eds) Perspectives on Elderly Crime and Victimization. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72682-3_10
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