NCJ Number
145890
Journal
Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (1993) Pages: 33-40
Date Published
1993
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article charts the slow development of a professional response to abuse of elderly persons in Great Britain and examines some reasons for this.
Abstract
The abuse of elderly persons was first mentioned in a British research journal in 1975 when Dr. Geoffrey Burston mentioned it in a letter to the editor of the British Medical Journal. Many adult-care professionals dismissed Dr. Burston's letter as sensationalism, however. The next significant development was a national conference on abuse of the elderly sponsored by the British Geriatrics Society in 1988. Conference speakers advised that abuse of the elderly was largely unresearched and undefined in Britain. Despite this conference and other efforts to obtain a significant professional response to the problem of abuse of elderly persons, very little research on this subject has been conducted. To date only one valid research study has explored the incidence of elderly abuse in Britain. This study, which was published in the British Medical Journal in December 1990, assessed the prevalence of elderly abuse by caregivers and the characteristics of the abusers and the abused. Study subjects were elderly patients referred from any source for respite care and their caregivers. Forty-five percent of the caregivers admitted to some form of abuse of patients; only a few patients admitted being abused, however. The recent and continuing development of guidelines and policies is encouraging, since it is increasing professional and political awareness that should produce a greater commitment of resources and services. 8 references