Elder Abuse and Neglect: An Overview

Detection and Intervention Strategies by Primary Health Care Professionals in Suspected Elder Abuse

“…These last two aspects are in line with those found in other studies 18,20 that support the idea that there is a shortfall in the training leading to diagnostic uncertainty and fear of making mistakes when reporting the complaint.…”

“…Although this problem is considered by many authors as rarely reported by health professionals, and despite the fact that they occupy a privileged position to do so, 10,20,24,25 the present study showed a good relationship between the cases in which there was suspicion and reporting. Indeed, of the 78 (61.4%) participants who mentioned to have suspected of at least one event of abuse, 83.3% reported the situation.…”

“…5,19 Also worth noting is the essential role of clinical interviews for the diagnosis. It is advised to carry out a series of questions during the interview, in a private conversation with the possible victim avoiding the presence of the supposed abuser 16,19,20 for an early identification of abuse, as well as being aware of the physical signs, attitudes and emotional status of the older people. 14,16,17 The victim's risk factors must also be determined, such as dementia or dependence for daily life activities, as well as risk factors associated with the caregivers themselves, like as stress, mental illness, alcoholism, economic difficulties amongst others.…”

Rompendo o silêncio e suas barreiras: um inquérito domiciliar sobre a violência doméstica contra idosos em área de abrangência do Programa Médico de Família de Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

“…Boa parte dos autores sugere que a violência cometida contra o idoso por membros da família seja decorrente da história precedente de um relacionamento pouco afetuoso e solidário na relação conjugal ou naquela entre pais e filhos 7,11 . Outros apontam a sobrecarga do cuidador como o principal fator desencadeante do abuso 34 . Certos grupos indicam ainda que o grau de interdependência cuidador-idoso, quer no âmbito físico, afetivo ou econômico, seja mais um fator importante no processo 32 .…”

The shifting conceptualization of elder abuse in the United States: from social services, to criminal justice, and beyond

“…Physicians are credited with first identifying elder abuse. Although elder abuse has been recognized throughout history (Gorbien and Eisenstein, 2005;Teaster et al, 2010), Burston is generally identified as writing the first published account of elder abuse in a scientific journalthe British Medical Journal-which appeared in a 1975 letter entitled "Granny Battering." However, Robert Butler wrote the first account of elder abuse in the USA in Why Survive?…”