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Global Health Leadership pp 57–66Cite as

Addressing Elder Abuse and Neglect in a Greying Malaysia: The PEACE Initiative

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Abstract

Elder Abuse and Neglect (EAN) is one of the major public health concerns. The current worldwide rapid demographic transition, urbanization, and changes in social structures have predisposed older adults to greater risks of abuse and exploitation. In Malaysia, EAN is a relatively unexplored subject. Local studies have indicated that approximately one in ten older adults experiences abuse, and that the most common subtype is financial abuse, followed by psychological abuse. In the recent decades the Malaysian government has introduced two policies to address the growing elder population: the National Health Policy for Older Persons (2008) and National Policy for Older Persons (2011). In line with the vision of these two policies, the Prevent Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative (PEACE) was commenced in early 2014 to address EAN through a coordinated, multistep approach involving stakeholders across sectors. This chapter elaborates on PEACE activities and the key leadership components adopted throughout its journey in making sure PEACE could act as a role model in health leadership.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Raudah Mohd Yunus

  2. Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Sungai Buloh Campus, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Sungai Buloh, Malaysia

    Raudah Mohd Yunus

  3. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Noran Naqiah Hairi, Choo Wan Yuen, Farizah Hairi, Devi Peramalah & Awang Bulgiba

  4. Department of Primary Care Medicine, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Sajaratulnisah Othman

  5. Faculty of Law, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Siti Zaharah Jamaluddin

  6. State Health Department of Negeri Sembilan, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

    Zainudin Mohd Ali

Authors
  1. Raudah Mohd Yunus
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  2. Noran Naqiah Hairi
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  3. Choo Wan Yuen
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  4. Farizah Hairi
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  5. Sajaratulnisah Othman
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  6. Siti Zaharah Jamaluddin
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  7. Devi Peramalah
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  8. Zainudin Mohd Ali
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  9. Awang Bulgiba
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Keck School of Medicine, USC Institute for Global Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Mellissa Withers

  2. School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Judith McCool

Appendices

Discussion Questions

  1. 1.

    Describe in brief the demographic transition that is happening in developing countries and how it might escalate the phenomenon of elder abuse and neglect (EAN).

  2. 2.

    In your opinion, why did elder abuse receive relatively little (or late) attention as compared to other forms of family violence such as intimate partner violence (IPV) and child abuse?

  3. 3.

    How does ageism contribute to EAN? Does the pathway differ between developed and developing countries?

  4. 4.

    What are the advantages and disadvantages of addressing EAN from the human rights perspective compared to other conventional approaches?

  5. 5.

    List five additional leadership components that you feel are relevant to this case (other than the five mentioned). How would you apply these components in another health-related project?

Follow-Up Reading

Williams, J. L., Hernandez-Tejada, M. A., & Acierno, R. (2016). 24 elder abuse: Prevention and reporting. The Oxford Handbook of Behavioral Emergencies and Crises, 373.

Pillemer, K., Burnes, D., Riffin, C., & Lachs, M. S. (2016). Elder abuse: Global situation, risk factors, and prevention strategies. The Gerontologist, 56(Suppl 2), S194-S205.

Du Mont, J., Macdonald, S., Kosa, D., Elliot, S., Spencer, C., & Yaffe, M. (2015). Development of a Comprehensive Hospital-Based Elder Abuse Intervention: An Initial Systematic Scoping Review. PloS One, 10(5), e0125105.

Dong, X. (2016). Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes: How Do We Advance the Field of Elder Justice?. Annals of Internal Medicine, 165(4), 288-289.

North, M. S., & Fiske, S. T. (2012). An inconvenienced youth? Ageism and its potential intergenerational roots. Psychological Bulletin, 138(5), 982.

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Yunus, R.M. et al. (2019). Addressing Elder Abuse and Neglect in a Greying Malaysia: The PEACE Initiative. In: Withers, M., McCool, J. (eds) Global Health Leadership. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95633-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95633-6_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95632-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95633-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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