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The aim of this study was to explore how Ghanaian staff in nursing homes and hospitals perceive abuse and neglect of older adults as well as to explore the nature and scope of abuse and neglect of older adults as it exists in Ghana.

This exploratory study used a qualitative research methodology that sets out to explore staff’s perception of elder abuse in nursing homes and hospitals in Ghana. Five nursing assistants and two caregivers were interviewed in two nursing homes and four nurses were interviewed in one hospital. A semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection.

The findings showed that elder abuse occurs in both hospitals and nursing homes, which might be attributed to different personal, situational and institutional characteristics as well as cultural and traditional value systems. Various factors at the level of interpersonal relationships contributed to elder abuse. Situational characteristics such as aggressive exchanges between residents and health workers and institutional characteristics such as limited facilities and resources to care for residents are all factors that were implicated in elder abuse. Finally, culture and traditional views, beliefs system and socioeconomic factors seem to be implicated in elder abuse and neglect.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that explores elder abuse and neglect in Ghanaian nursing homes and hospitals.

This article updates a review submitted to the Department of Health (DH) in the light of the House of Commons Health Select Committee report on Elder Abuse. The review drew on recent research about elder abuse in the UK, including research published after the Select Committee's hearings, that made specific recommendations for areas of development in research and policy. The aim of this paper is to address specific questions posed by the Select Committee in light of developments up to mid 2005.

The purpose of this paper is to identify, describe and compare the studies of the prevalence of abuse and neglect of older adults developed in Portugal.

A retrospective bibliographic search of seven descriptors in English and Portuguese, of academic and professional papers and university institutional repositories was performed.

Of the nine studies selected, seven consisted of grey literature – research developed within the course of academic post‐graduate studies. The studies were conducted on a small scale, more often than not, through a non‐probabilistic convenience sampling method. From the nine studies, two instruments prevailed: the Questions to Elicit Elder Abuse aimed at older adults and the Caregiver Abuse Screen aimed at caregivers. Community‐dwelling older adults self‐reported a higher prevalence of abuse (between 66.7 and 86.7 per cent) than care professionals working with older adults suffering from dementia (between 26.7 and 47.4 per cent). Emotional abuse and neglect were the first and second most prevalent forms of abuse, followed by financial abuse, whereas physical abuse was the least prevalent type of abuse encountered. A poorer perception of health, not making/receiving visits and residing in an urban area were the more consistent variables associated with abuse of older adults.

Overall, this paper provides a first consideration to the prevalence rates of older adult abuse and neglect from research studies in Portugal. The revised design studies and screening methods employed can help researchers improve future study design and move from the description to a more theoretically oriented research. Furthermore, it can help practitioners learn screening methods and discover the findings associated with abuse.

This study aims to examine primary care physicians who are in a tenable position to identify signs of abuse in older adults as well as provide an opportunity to safeguard them from abuse. Yet little is known about their clinical decision-making process during a clinic visit to detect abuse of older adults and provide adequate support in the Caribbean.

Fourteen primary care physicians working in a government operated free clinic were interviewed about their clinical decision-making process, in a narrative analysis format on the small island state of Trinidad and Tobago.

Primary care physicians expressed lack of knowledge about the primary health-care clinics’ protocols and procedures regarding abuse of older adults. Lack of attendance to educational in-service programs on recognizing and reporting abuse of older adults. A hands-off approach with non-medical abuse issues. Last there is no uniform assessments among the different types of physicians.

Although these findings are among primary care physicians located in Trinidad and Tobago, the context may be applied to primary care settings in other Caribbean islands. Major focus should be geared towards increasing awareness among the public and health-care professionals.

Sparse research on small island states regarding safeguarding policies for older adults who experience abuse.

The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss existing literature and available research findings related to understanding elder abuse and neglect in culturally diverse communities, particularly the Chinese immigrant community in Canada. The conceptual understandings of elder abuse are examined, based upon the socio-cultural context and challenges faced by aging Chinese immigrants.

Previous literature and research publications related to elder abuse and neglect related to Chinese in Canada were reviewed and synthesized. Statistical information and research findings were summarized to illustrate the socio-cultural context that defines elder abuse and neglect experienced by aging Chinese immigrants in Canada.

From a culturally diverse perspective, influence of race, ethnicity, immigrant status, and cultural norms on the recognition, identification, prevention and intervention of elder abuse and neglect are important to consider. A key message for professionals working with the aging population, particularly older immigrants from ethno-cultural minority background, is that understanding the social cultural context in which elder abuse or neglect emerges is critical. For many of the aging Chinese immigrants in Canada, the socio-cultural circumstances that they have experienced, their social environment, and various barriers and challenges further prevent them from being aware of this emerging concern. Cultural norms and practices have played a critical role in their access to preventive and intervention services.

Although this paper is not based upon a particularly empirical research study, the research and literature synthesized are both empirically and conceptually based. As indicated in the review of previous research publications on the subjective matter of elder abuse and neglect in aging Chinese immigrants in Canada is limited. Research on various issues related to elder abuse and neglect in ethno-cultural minority communities is also relatively scant. Evaluation research on prevention and intervention programs is desperately needed so as to facilitate the further establishment of best practice prevention and intervention models that are culturally appropriate and effective. While research engagement with minority groups such as the aging Chinese immigrants who do not speak English or are not familiar with the research culture in the western civilization could be challenging, academic researchers and service providers in both the mainstream and ethno-cultural minority communities should further align themselves in practice-research partnership endeavors to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the aging vulnerable individuals could be better maintained.

In order to provide culturally competent services, service providers should be aware of cultural differences in attitudes towards elder mistreatment, including the ways in which specific types of abuse (e.g. financial abuse) are defined within ethno-cultural communities, and the cultural values and experiences that shape these understandings and determine attitudes or barriers towards reporting, intervention, and service use.

This paper is a first attempt in the research community to synthesize a few critical issues related to elder abuse and neglect in the aging Chinese immigrant community in Canada. The paper has connected previous empirical findings related to Chinese older adults as well as other culturally diverse aging populations to the conceptualization of elder abuse and neglect by considering the unique socio-cultural context faced by the ethnocultural older adults.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of both charitable and religious fundraising amongst vulnerable older adults. It is a practice that is hidden and opaque. The circumstances surrounding the death of Olive Clarke in spring 2015, however, suggest that it is a practice that involves “intrusive” and “excessive” practices. Fundraising amongst vulnerable older adults is largely unregulated and independently monitored. This paper argues that ensuring the protection of vulnerable older adults requires substantial change and new accountabilities.

This paper explores current approaches to financial abuse and the focus on family and professional carers as the main likely perpetrators. However, using literature from both the USA and Australia, it considers notions of “trust” and professional behaviour, and the way that vulnerable older adults are subject to new forms of abuse as a result of financial technology such as online and telephone banking. It links this with the practices of charitable fundraisers using techniques such as cold calling and direct mail.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Olive Clarke suggest that charities, and those fundraise for charities appear to engage in a practice whereby they sell the names of likely donors to each other. This practice opens opportunities for abusive relationships to take place. At the same time many clergy operate like the single GP surgeries that allowed Shipman to practice unnoticed and unaccountable. The relationship between clergy and their aging congregation, who are relied upon to raise funds for church activities, open up the opportunity for abuse to take to place. Few records on charitable giving exist that permit regulation and independent scrutiny.

Current research in this area is limited by the focus on family and professional carers as likely perpetrators of financial abuse, and through attention on child sexual abuse in general. There is a lack of research on charitable giving, and the focus tends to be on altruism rather than the practices and motivations of fundraisers themselves. This paper intends to begin an academic debate to the context in which Olive Clarke took her own life.

In the wake of the death of Olive Clarke the Fundraising Standards Board has been tasked with reviewing the way charities raise funds amongst vulnerable older adults. No one has yet used the language of financial abuse, choosing to opt for the terms “excessive” and “intrusive” there is a need to shift this debate and encourage greater regulation and accountability.

This paper seeks to explore how some of the organisations that are supposed to protect and care for vulnerable people engage in practices that exploit and abuse. It is timely as debates about charitable giving are beginning to increase, and the role of the church and the religious groups in the abuse of children is being considered by the new independent inquiry in the UK. It has significant implications for accountability, trust and regulation.

The financial abuse of older adults is rarely considered outside of the family – carer nexus. However, changes in the banking and financial systems means that opportunities for abuse are greater than ever before. Prior to the death of Olive Clarke in spring 2015 very little attention on the nature of charitable and religious fundraising amongst older adults has taken place, and consequently this paper is highly original, but equally timely.

The purpose of this paper was to undertake a review of selected adult safeguarding policy and guidance documentation to establish the level of guidance provided in relation to financial abuse; identify similarities and differences between the guidance given to professionals working in different contexts; and report gaps or inconsistencies in the guidance given.

Qualitative documentary content analysis was undertaken to identify key issues and themes in documents selected from 25 local authorities in England.

Little variation was found in the content of the documents, which were all heavily influenced by “No Secrets” guidance. The victim and perpetrator were largely invisible and there is no reference to the possible medium to long‐term impact of abuse on individuals. There is no research evidence underpinning the use of the notion of “significant harm” when used in the context of adults. In addition, there is no means of comparing safeguarding decisions across different local authorities to evaluate consistency of decisions and outcomes.

The lack of any mechanisms to compare safeguarding decisions and outcomes across local authority areas is a serious limitation of the way safeguarding works. Also, the failure to address the aftercare and support of victims means they are left to manage the psycho‐social consequences.

Safeguarding boards should evaluate the outcomes of interventions in a standardised way to enable comparison. They should also do more to ensure the longer‐term wellbeing of victims.

The paper raises awareness of elder financial abuse.

This is the only policy review that focuses specifically on financial abuse.

Through the lens afforded by two theories drawn from the discipline of social psychology, the purpose of this paper is to explain the evident continuing abuse of adults at risk living in care homes by the staff who should be looking after them.

By considering existing theories and research into the reasons why vulnerable adults are abused the paper proposes the relevance of other extant theories on the degradation of moral restraint and dehumanisation of victims, and on the social psychology of intergroup relations, to the perpetration of abuse.

The paper demonstrates how theories that explain the psychology of human behaviour in certain circumstances may be usefully applied to the inveterate social problem of the abuse of vulnerable adults living in care homes.

The paper offers the opportunity for the reader to consider how these theories of social psychology may be applied to explain and guide remedies to the persistent levels of abuse in English care homes, abuse that continues despite government oversight of care provided to adults who may be at risk by virtue of the activities of the statutory regulator and health and social care commissioners, and the interventions of safeguarding personnel.

This is a conceptual paper from which future research and theorising may arise to better understand the most fundamental causes of the abuse of older people in care homes in order to develop feasible and effective measures to overcome it.

This study aims to operationalize and test some predictions of a social exchange theory of elder abuse. The theory proposes that the combination of low resources and high dependency/low relational power increases the older adult’s risk of abuse. The authors tested these predictions by exploring the association between morality (indicator of resources) and abuse, moderated by social skills (indicator of power).

This was an exploratory study. The authors collected data from 62 participants between 64 and 94 years old who frequented social-recreational centres.

The authors found a positive association between the moral intuition harm/care and the report of emotionally and financially abusive behaviours and denial of rights. The moral intuition authority/respect is negatively associated with the same types of abuse. The effects of moral intuitions on the types of abuse increased in older adults with generally high social skills and low assertiveness.

This study provided initial results for a psychological interpretation of a social exchange theory of elder abuse and highlighted the importance of relational models where moral intuitions interact with social skills to predict elder abuse.

This article aims to explore the perpetrators of abuse among older women living in the community. The study examines whether differences between the perpetrators of different forms of abuse, and for different groups of older women (e.g. by income or age groups) can be detected. Finally, it aims to investigate whether older women talk about the abuse to family or friends, or report it to an official or formal agency, in relation to different perpetrators.

This article provides results from the prevalence study of Abuse and Violence against Older Women in Europe (AVOW‐study). The study involved scientific partners from five EU countries: Finland, Austria, Belgium, Lithuania, and Portugal. In these five countries, the same study was conducted during 2010. In total, 2,880 older women living in the community were interviewed during the course of the study.

The results indicate that 28.1per cent of older women across all countries have experienced some kind of violence and abuse, in the last 12 months, by someone who is close to them. The results offer specific figures for the prevalence of different types of abuse, i.e. physical, psychological, sexual, and financial abuse; violation of personal rights; and neglect. Furthermore, additional insights about the main perpetrators of abuse for different groups of older women are offered.

The article does not address the differences between the five countries. Further research could examine the between‐country variations and identify possible country‐specific explanations.

The implications of these findings for the development of policy and practice are highlighted. Applying only a crime‐focused approach on this topic is not sufficient. Health and social welfare sectors play a key role in ensuring dignity in, and quality of, formal and informal care and need to be supported to do so.

The paper presents the findings of an extensive multi‐national survey on abuse of older women in five European countries.