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Definition: elder abuse from Dictionary of Psychological Testing, Assessment and Treatment

Abuse of the elderly, particularly those who are mentally enfeebled. The abuse can be physical, but also psychological or financial (e.g. extorting money).

Elder Abuse

From Encyclopedia of Social Deviance
Elder abuse is a broad concept that refers to a wide range of victimizations experienced by older adults. Unfortunately, a uniform definition of elder abuse does not exist. This complex social problem is studied by scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds; thus, researchers often narrowly define elder abuse based on how their discipline views the problem. Similarly, statutory definitions of elder abuse vary by state with regard to the types of behaviors identified as abuse and the age at which an individual is classified as an “elder.” In general, scholars and policymakers consider the elderly to be individuals of age 60 and above and recognize six types of behaviors within their definitions of elder abuse. These behaviors include physical, sexual, and psychological/emotional abuse, as well as neglect, abandonment, and financial abuse/exploitation. It is important to note that elder abuse can occur in the community and in institutional settings such as nursing homes. This entry…
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Full text Article Elder Abuse

From Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology
Elder abuse is a social and public health problem that affects over half a million abused elderly victims in the United States as well as their caregivers, family, and community institutions. Abuse results in physical, emotional, and mental angst for victims, some of whom are cognitively and/or…
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Full text Article CHAPTER 30 ELDER ABUSE: GUIDELINES FOR TREATMENT

From Handbook of Forensic Psychology: Resource for Mental Health and Legal Professionals
Since the mid-1970s, elder abuse has received recognition as a significant health problem in the United States and in other countries. Elder mistreatment was originally referred to in the medical literature as “granny battering” by G. R. Burston (1975) in the British Medical Journal and then by R. …
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Full text Article Elder Abuse in Developing Nations

From The Cambridge Handbook of Age and Ageing
The demographic revolution under way in many regions of the world has been remarkable. This is a global phenomenon and one of the striking achievements of the twentieth century. In 2002, almost 400 million people aged 60 and over lived in the developing world. By 2025, this will have increased to…
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Elder abuse is a violation of Human Rights and a significant cause of injury, illness, loss of productivity, isolation and despair. (WHO/INPEA 2002a) Clinical and case-study data from some developed and developing countries have documented the severe emotional distress experienced by older persons…
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Full text Article Elder Abuse

From Human Diseases and Conditions
Elder abuse is the abuse of an elderly person, most often by someone known and trusted by the abused. Elder abuse may take many forms and can occur in either a home or institutional environment . When the apartment door opened, Jada expected to see her grandmother Pearl's familiar, smiling face. …
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Full text Article Elder Abuse

From The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Despite its emergence in the social policy and civil justice arenas more than a quarter of a century ago, there is no federally established definition for elder abuse and no single entity that collects and analyzes elder abuse data. Advances in health and wellness have resulted in an aging…
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Full text Article Elder Abuse

From Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Actor Mickey Rooney testifies before the Senate...
Elder abuse is a general term used to describe harmful acts toward an elderly adult, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect, including self-neglect. Results from the National Elder Abuse Incidence Study, funded in part by the…
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Full text Article Elder Abuse

From The Gale Encyclopedia of Senior Health
Prevalence of elder mistreatment in the United...
Elder abuse (sometimes also called senior neglect) is a general term used to describe harmful acts toward an elderly adult, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect, including self-neglect. The U.S. Administration on Aging defines…
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As the population of elderly people in the United States increases, so does the incidence of what is known as elder abuse. Estimates put the number of cases in which elderly victims are abused as high as half a million annually. The number of reported incidents, however, is barely 15 percent of…
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Full text Article ELDER ABUSE

From International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family
Although conflict in families has been a consistent theme in world literature since ancient times, elder abuse did not surface as a social problem until the mid-1970s, first identified in British literature, followed soon after in the United States and Canada. During the next decade several European…
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