Elder Abuse: Risk

Abstract

Because the causes for elder abuse are unknown, we look to risk factors to help us better understand this problem and conditions leading to its occurrence. Risk factors are critical to elder abuse detection, assessment, and prevention. They are most salient in combination and with longer exposure. They also may vary by elder abuse form or setting. Risk factors for which there is substantial supporting research are found in characteristics of the perpetrator (i.e., pathology and dependency), victim (i.e., dementia and problem behaviors), and perpetrator/victim environment (i.e., shared living arrangements, social isolation, or lack of social support). Characteristics of the cultural milieu (e.g., ageism and stereotyping of persons with disabilities) are seen as providing the backdrop for abusive actions.

Perpetrators of Elder Abuse

“…They exhibit excellent persuasion skills, which allow them to convince older adults that they are worthy of their trust and to gain control over them. Conversely, perpetrators also show a distorted sense of reality, an inability to empathize, a lack of impulse control, and an inability to handle frustration (Anetzberger 2013).…”