Too often, older, women are abused, neglected, and exploited. In cases where the older victim and perpetrator have an ongoing relationship, power and control dynamics like those used against younger battered women are often present. In these cases, a victim-centered response and some strategies used with younger victims of domestic violence may be most effective in promoting safety and ensuring support and services. To assist mental health professionals and psychiatric nurses, this article focuses on three main topics: the dynamics of abuse in later life, a victim-centered response, and working collaboratively with other disciplines to offer a comprehensive response to these complex cases.

Too often, older women experience the heartache of being hurt by someone they love. These women may be isolated and unaware of community resources. Support groups can provide older abused women with support, information, friendship, and hope-a place to feel safe and strong. Based on interviews with 34 support group facilitators, this article describes (a) the logistics of identifying projects, (b) the benefits of support groups for older abused women, (c) the characteristics of existing groups, (d) the challenges of starting a support group, and (e) principles for working with older abused women.

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