Influences on the perception of elder financial abuse among older adults in Southern California

Abstract

Even though most financial abuse is perpetrated by family members, older adults are less likely to perceive a financial situation as abuse when it involves a child of the victim, thus making reporting and prevention less likely. The support for a specialty Elder Abuse Court (EAC) suggests that some reluctance to report is based on misgivings about punishing the perpetrator.

Reactions to a Female Perpetrator of Neglect and Financial Elder Abuse

“…However, female respondents thought that other family members should help with care as an option before removal of the elder from the home. This is consistent with research (Knight et al, 2016) which found that females were more reluctant to disrupt the relationship between carer and elder by reporting financial abuse.…”

“…While much of the research has focused on perceptions of elder abuse, less attention has centered on responses to abuse. In a study by Knight, Kim, Rastegar, Jones, Jump, and Wong (2016) which assessed perceptions of financial elder abuse using vignettes, females were less inclined to report financial abuse of elders which might jeopardize the relationship between carer and elder. Whether there are gender differences in responding to abuse situations of other types remains under-studied.…”

Elder abuse: Screening in Iranian families

“…According to this study and other similar studies, 1 person out of 3 to 4 is at risk of elder abuse( 7 ). Since the elders are not aware of punishments for those who commit elder abuse, and some other reasons ( 11 , 16 , 27 ), a small proportion of them ask for help and use the facilities provided for them. Therefore, with regards to the fact that elder abuse is often committed by relatives, controlling the behavior of people around the elders is highly important, as they may control the elders’ phone conversations, separate them from the rest of the family, relatives, and friends, or threaten to leave them or send them to nursing homes.…”

Recognizing the Trauma Experienced by Community-Dwelling Older Victims of Financial Abuse Perpetrated by Trusted Others

“…When asked what constitutes financial exploitation, all three groups agreed that defining financial exploitation is difficult due to the complexity of family dynamics and differing cultural norms; all three groups also agreed that using the older adult's assets for purposes other than for the older adult's benefit is financial exploitation; however, older adults were less likely to view lending money to a relative who did not pay it back as financial exploitation compared to professional service providers. Indeed, acts perpetrated by family are less likely to be perceived as abusive compared to the same acts perpetrated by a paid caregiver or some other nonfamily member (Knight et al 2016). These findings have important implications for detection and reporting.…”