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Using a risk and vulnerability framework, the purpose of this paper is to describe the characteristics of older adults that Adult Protective Services (APS) substantiated for neglect by caregivers, their caregivers and the interrelationships between them.

The paper uses a qualitative study of 21 APS case record narratives using a template analysis.

Neglect related to withholding or refusing medical care was the most common. The older adults had multiple health conditions and geriatric syndromes. Caregivers had difficulties in carrying out caregiving role due to health and mental health issues, work responsibilities and lack of insight into older adults’ needs. The refusal to access or accept services by both the older adults and the caregivers was a predominant theme.

The sample size was small, limited to one geographical area, and non-representative of all neglect cases. The data were extracted from written case narratives and not directly from the older adults and their family members. Case records varied in the case detail provided.

To protect vulnerable older adults and improve quality of life, APS involvement in cases of caregiver neglect needs strategies to get people to accept help and access services to address multiple health and psychosocial problems for both older adult victims and their caregivers.

This study provides in-depth information on APS cases involving caregiver neglect that add to understanding of this complex problem and points to areas for further study.

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.

Aging has detrimental effects on elders due to their physical health and financial hardship. Elders face neglect, insult and abuse in society due to causes related to physical health and financial issue from caregivers. This study aims to identify the measures of physical health and financial hardship and classifies elders under neglect, insult and abuse categories.

The propositions of existence and classifying elders under neglect, insult and abuse categories were tested by using discriminant analysis and their profiling was done by perceptual mapping technique.

The elder neglect category identified as a prominent category due to physical health while elder insult and abuse were caused by physical health and financial hardship both. The present study portrays the multi-dimensional facets related to elders’ ill-treatment. The elder’s ill-treatment categories were profiled to imply the measure of elevating elders’ dignity and care at a personal level and society at large.

This study classifies elders under neglect, insult and abuse categories. This classification may facilitate the medical practitioners, academicians and government and non-government social welfare agencies in understanding elder abuse with new perspectives.

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 paper discusses the neglect of old people as an element of mistreatment. It considers the definition and prevalence of neglect and issues arising both in self‐neglect and in the context of professional and personal relationships. It is argued that the underlying reasons for ‘omissions of care’ are various and complex and that distinctions between ‘intentional’ and ‘unintentional’ neglect may be unhelpful. Present evidence suggests that it is the oldest and most vulnerable of elderly citizens who are most likely to experience neglect and that the numbers are not inconsiderable. This has far reaching implications for society and for many aspects of social policy and poses a moral challenge to us all.

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 paper aims to examine the predictive potential of elder abuse on welfare status of older persons in selected districts in Southwestern Uganda.

The study took a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical design. Using a sample of 285 respondents, data were obtained from 201 usable questionnaires collected from caregivers and officials relating with older persons in this area making it a response rate of 70.5%. Using statistical program for social scientists (SPSS), the researchers tested and analyzed six hypotheses.

Results indicate that physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse and neglect negatively and significantly predicted welfare status. Though negatively related, social abuse and sexual abuse did not significantly predict welfare status.

Family members and caregivers must make practices that do not promote physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse and neglect as these negatively affect the welfare status of elderly persons. District officials such as community development officers and other persons handling older persons need to implement policies that promote the welfare status of the elderly.

The study demonstrates that the existence of physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse and neglect is a deterrent to older person’s welfare status.

Reciprocal abuse inside care practices remain under-studied due to their invisibility and further research is required. The purpose of this paper is to explore different levels of conflicts inside organisations.

The paper is based on a self-administered questionnaire filled out by care workers (n = 150), in 16 Portuguese care homes.

Results indicated that, overall, 54.7% of care workers had observed abuse, in their daily practice, in the preceding 12 months: 48.7% psychological; 36.0% neglectful care practices; 14.0% physical and 3.3% financial abuse. The figures decreased significantly as regards abuse committed themselves, with 16.7% of those admitting to having committed at least one of these behaviours. The highest figures were also recorded for psychological abuse (13.3%) and neglect (6.7%). However, there is a statistically significant relationship between abuse committed by care workers and abuse committed by residents. Overall, 52.0% of care workers reported having been the target of at least one such behaviour by residents.

This paper has its limitations as the sample consisted of only 16 nursing homes (12 not-for-profit and 4 for-profit nursing homes). The fact that only 4 of the 16 LTC homes were for-profit is a potential limitation both in general and in particular because research has shown that lower quality of care and elder abuse and neglect are more common in for-profit nursing homes at least in Portugal. The results were also based on self-reported measures.

A reactive behaviour, the risk of retaliation, after a complaint, the difficulty in dealing with dementia and the residents' aggressive behaviour, an absence of a training and support policy in an environment where difficult working conditions prevail, are factors enhancing a reciprocal process of abuse. The analysis followed by a discussion of potential implications to prevent institutional elder abuse and neglect, based on communication and social recognition, including better working conditions and training, and a cooperative work environment.

Conflict is much more than reducing an interpersonal relationship problem between residents and staff (care workers, professional staff, managers) and extending to the whole organisation. Therefore, there are still uncertainties on how organisations, staff and residents interact between themselves, and affect care practises.

Reciprocal abuse in nursing homes is an important area of research and this paper enabled a discussion of potential implications concerning the quality of care, which required the identification of levels of conflict, in an organisational system, including interactions, the context where care is provided, difficult working conditions, lack of training and levels of support. All these factors are important when considering elder abuse and neglect and this calls for special attention by policymakers and researchers.

This study provides data on elder abuse and neglect in German nursing homes. It uses a multimethod approach to analyse conditions leading to abusive and neglectful behaviour.

Issues and developments that have occurred in relation to elder abuse, specifically concerning the domestic setting, will be briefly explored. Over the last 15 years, there has been increasing global recognition of abuse and neglect of older people who might be at risk of such forms of harm, as a social problem needing attention. The role of the media and media representations of elder abuse are clearly of relevance here and are the main focus of this chapter.

Around 500,000 older people are believed to be abused at any one time in the United Kingdom, with most victims of elder abuse being older women with a chronic illness or disability, according to statistics provided by the government information service (NHS Digital, 2019). Most of the abuse recorded relates to domestic settings within communities.

Gender-based violence and abuse amongst older women may be overlooked by health and social care providers. For older women, their gender seems to be forgotten or becomes hidden. Media representation of abuse against older people, particularly older women, does not assist this situation.

Against the backdrop of the global ageing population, it is fundamental that the particular experiences, needs and rights of older people are adequately understood, and that health and care professionals respond appropriately. This chapter explores these issues, in particular the role of the digital media and representations of elder abuse in familial settings and its impact on victims, potential victims, perpetrators, health and social care service providers and the general public.