Mistreatment of the Elderly in the Domestic Setting - An Exploratory Study

• NCJ Number: 80115
• Journal: AJPH Volume: 71 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1981) Pages: 500-507
• Author(s): T Hickey; R L Douglass
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Portions of this paper were reported at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, November 1979, New York City.

Annotation

Based on interviews conducted with 228 professionals and practitioners involved in providing services to the elderly, this study examined the causes and extent of abuse and neglect of the elderly within the family setting, as well as the availability of treatment.

Abstract

Data collection was designed to focus on four issues: (1) the respondent's personal and professional work experiences with neglect and abuse of noninstitutionalized elderly persons; (2) perceptions of the etiology of neglect and abuse, based on case histories and observations; (3) the process of case identification and reporting, referral, and followup procedures; and (4) descriptive typologies based on illustrative case histories. Semi-structured responses were coded for descriptive analysis. Findings indicated that domestic mistreatment of the elderly was familiar to most professionals interviewed, to the extent that 60 percent of the respondents dealt with such cases on a weekly basis. Among the 10 professional groups interviewed, there was little variation in their experiences with neglect; police officers, lawyers, and community mental health and aging services workers had greater exposure to cases of physical abuse. Intentional mistreatment was typically viewed as a consequence of inadequacies in the caretaker, while unintentional cases were related to the victims' isolation. Most respondents indicated that no established procedures existed for dealing with or following-up mistreatment cases, and over one-half reported that nothing was done. Differences in perception of the etiology of domestic mistreatment of the elderly were closely related to the occupational perspectives of the various respondent groups. Although incidence rates could not be established, 89 illustrative cases of domestic mistreatment were indicative of the severity of the occurrences and the absence of appropriate interventions. Tables, graphs, and seven references are provided. (Author abstract modified)