Understanding “Elder Abuse and Neglect”: A Critique of Assumptions Underpinning Responses to the Mistreatment and Neglect of Older People

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the ways in which the mistreatment and neglect of older people have come to be understood as a social problem, one which is underpinned by a variety of substantive and theoretical assumptions. It connects the process of conceptualizing elder abuse and neglect to political-economic and social evolution. The authors draw on a review of the literature, government sources, interest group websites, and their own research to provide a critical commentary illustrating how these understandings have become manifest in legislation, policies, and programs pertaining to “elder abuse and neglect” in Canada. Suggestions are provided for changes in direction for policies, programs, and research.

Keywords:

• assumptions
• elder abuse and neglect

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge with thanks the funding of the studies that provided the empirical background for this article. The first study in the province of Nova Scotia was funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services and the federal Department of Justice of Canada. The second study in Nova Scotia was funded by the Nova Scotia Health Research Fund. The study of all three Maritime Provinces is being funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

This article is adapted from a background paper prepared for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, August 31, 2008.