Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Elder Abuse

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Family Medicine

  • 75 Accesses

Abstract

Elder abuse is generally defined as the maltreatment of individuals over the age of 60 [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes elder abuse as “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person” [2]. Instances of abuse toward older adults perpetrated by a stranger (e.g., theft, fraud) are therefore not considered elder abuse [3]. Elder abuse can be of various forms: physical; psychological/emotional, sexual; financial and material abuse; abandonment; neglect; and serious loss of dignity and respect [4].

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Van Den Bruele A, Dimachk M, Crandall M. Elder abuse. Clin Geriatr Med. 2019;35:103–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. WHO. World Health Organization. [Online]; 2020 [cited 202034]. Available from https://www.who.int/ageing/projects/elder_abuse/en/.

  3. Storey JE. Risk factors for elder abuse and neglect: a review of the literature. Aggress Violent Behav. 2020;50:101339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hall J, Karch D, Crosby A. Elder abuse surveillance: uniform definitions and recommended Core data elements for use in elder abuse surveillance. Version 1.0. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: Atlanta; 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  5. UN. United nations-department of economic and social affairs. [Online]; 2019. Available from https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/world-population-prospects-the-2017-revision.html.

  6. Taylor BJ, Killick C, O'Brien M, Begley E, Carter-Anand J. Older people's conceptualization of elder abuse and neglect. J Elder Abuse Negl. 2014;26(3):223–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Ho C, Wong S, Chiu M, Ho R. Global prevalence of elder abuse: ameta-analysis and meta-regression. East Asian Arch Psychiatr. 2017;27(2):43–55.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Yon Y, Mikton C, Gassoumis Z, Wilber K. Elder abuse prevalence in community settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2017;5(2):e147–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Marshall K, Hale D. Elder abuse. Home Healthc Now. 2018;36(1):51–2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Hoover R, Polson M. Detecting elder abuse and neglect: assessment and intervention. Am Fam Physician. 2014;89(6):453–60.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Yunus R, Hairi N, Choo W. Consequences of elder abuse and neglect: asystematic review of observational studies. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2019;20(2):197–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. USPSTF. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. [Online]; 2019 [cited 202034]. Available from https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/intimate-partner-violence-and-abuse-of-elderly-and-vulnerable-adults-screening1#consider.

  13. AMA. American Medical Association. [Online]; 2019 [cited 202034]. Available from https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/detail/Violence%20and%20Abuse?uri=%2FAMADoc%2FHOD.xml-0-4664.xml.

  14. NCEA. National center on elder abuse. [Online]; 2016 [cited 202034]. Available from https://ncea.acl.gov/NCEA/media/Publication/Elder-Abuse-Screening-Tools-for-Healthcare-Professionals.pdf.

  15. Yaffe J, Tazkarji B. Understanding elder abuse in family practice. Can Fam Physician. 2012;58:1336–40.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Wang X, Brisbin S, Loo T, Straus S. Elder abuse: an approach to identification, assessment and intervention. CMAJ. 2015;187(8):575–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Johannesen M, LoGiudice D. Elder abuse: a systematic review of risk factors in community-dwelling elders. Age Ageing. 2013;42(3):292–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Lachs M, Pillemer K. Elder abuse. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(20):1947–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Miller K, Stringham R, Zylstra R. Elder abuse. In: Taylor R, editor. Family medicine: principles and practice. New York: Springer; 2017. p. 348–9.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Vandeweerd C, Paveza G, Walsh M, Corvin J. Physical mistreatment in persons with Alzheimer's disease. J Aging Res. 2013;920324:1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Dong X. Elder abuse: systematic review and implications for practice. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015;63:1214–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Westwood S. Abuse and older lesbian, gay bisexual, and trans (LGBT) people: a commentary and research agenda. J Elder Abuse Negl. 2019;31(2):97–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Fraga Dominguez S, Storey J, Glorney E. Help-seeking behavior in victims of elder abuse: asystematic review. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2019;10:1524838019860616.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Adib M, Esmaeili M, Zakerimoghadam M, Nayeri N. Barriers to help-seeking for elder abuse: a qualitative study of older adults. Geriatr Nurs. 2019;40(6):565–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Mardomakdehi AFS, Sum S, Faramarzi M. Challenges for detection of elderly abuse in teaching hospitals: ainterventional study to improve the knowledge of health care providers. Shiraz E-Med J. 2020;21(2):e91348.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Burnett J, Achenbaum W, Murphy K. Prevention and early identification of elder abuse. Clin Geriatr Med. 2014;30(4):743–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. de Lima MP, Vergueiro ME, Gonzalez AJ, Martins P, Oliveira JG. Relations between elder abuse, ageism and perceptions of age. IntJ Human Soc Sci Educ (IJHSSE). 2018;5(6):91–102.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Saghafi A, Bahramnezhad F, Poormollamirza A, Dadgari A, Navab E. Examining the ethical challenges in managing elder abuse: a systematic review. J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2019;12:7.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Aravanis S, Adelman R, Breckman R, Fulmer T, Holder E, Lachs M, et al. Diagnostic and treatment guidelines on elder abuse and neglect. Arch Fam Med. 1993;2(4):371–88.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Rosen T, Stern ME, Elman A, Mulcare MR. Identifying and initiating intervention for elder abuse and neglect in the emergency department. Clin Geriatr Med. 2018;34(3):435–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Santos A, Nunes B, Kislaya I, Gil A, Ribeiro O. Exploring the correlates to depression in elder abuse victims: abusive experience or individual characteristics? J Interpers Violence. 2017;1:886260517732346.

    Google Scholar 

  32. del Carmen T, LoFaso V. Elder neglect. Clin Geriatr Med. 2014;30(4):769–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Scanlan J, Borson S. The mini-cog: receiver operating characteristics with expert and naïve raters. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2001;16(2):216–22.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Yaffe M, Wolfson C, Lithwick M, Weiss D. Development and validation of a tool to improve physician identification of elder abuse: the elder abuse suspicion index (EASI). J Elder Abuse Negl. 2008;20(3):276–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Sanford AM, Gammack JK. Elder abuse: golden years’ lost luster. Mo Med. 2013;110(6):512–6.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Pillemer K, Burnes D, Riffin C, Lachs MS. Elder abuse: global situation, risk factors, and prevention strategies. Gerontologist. 2016;56(Suppl 2):S 194–S205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Jordan, Aamman, Jordan

    Lana Alhalaseh

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Jordan, Aamman, Jordan

    Asma Abu-Zanat & Maram Alsmairat

Authors
  1. Lana Alhalaseh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Asma Abu-Zanat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Maram Alsmairat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lana Alhalaseh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, USA

    Paul Paulman

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Robert B. Taylor

  3. Department of Family Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA

    Audrey A. Paulman

  4. Department of Family Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA

    Laeth S. Nasir

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Alhalaseh, L., Abu-Zanat, A., Alsmairat, M. (2020). Elder Abuse. In: Paulman, P., Taylor, R., Paulman, A., Nasir, L. (eds) Family Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0779-3_164-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0779-3_164-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0779-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0779-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation