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Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine pp 10–11Cite as

Abuse, Elder

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Synonyms

Family Violence

Definition

The National Research Council defines elder mistreatment as “intentional actions that cause harm or create a serious risk of harm (whether or not harm is intended) to a vulnerable elder by a caregiver or other person who stands in a trust relationship to the elder or failure by a caregiver to satisfy the elder’s basic needs or to protect the elder from harm” (Bonnie & Wallace, 2003, p. 40).

Description

EM may occur in the community setting (domestic EM) or in institutional settings, such as nursing homes and adult family homes. In the United States, data about EM among community-dwelling, vulnerable older adults suggest that victimization will rise from 1.25 million in 2010 to 2.2 million in 2030 based on the aging demographics of America. Further, it is estimated that for every case of EM that is reported, more than five cases go unreported (Tatara, 1997). This means that there will be over 6.6 million unreported cases by 2020 and over 11.7 million...

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References and Readings

  • Acierno, R., Hernandez, M. A., Amstadter, A. B., Resnick, H. S., Steve, K., Muzzy, W., et al. (2010). Prevalence and correlates of emotional, physical, sexual, and financial abuse and potential neglect in the United States: The National Elder Mistreatment Study. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 292–297.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, USA

    Prof. Terry Fulmer Ph D, RN, FAAN

Authors
  1. Prof. Terry Fulmer Ph D, RN, FAAN
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Terry Fulmer Ph D, RN, FAAN .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc D. Gellman

  2. Cardiovascular Safety, Quintiles, Durham, NC, USA

    J. Rick Turner

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York

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Fulmer, T. (2013). Abuse, Elder. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_78

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_78

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1004-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1005-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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