The Abuse of Elderly Men

ABSTRACT

Elderly men are an under-studied group of abuse victims. Although victimization surveys discriminate against all elderly, abused elderly men are especially invisible. This paper will discuss the high rates of self-abuse by older men and their high risk for abuse when they are lonely, living within inner cities, incarcerated, or gay. Since most men live with a spouse (or significant other), they have also been victims of domestic violence. It is suspected that institutionalized elderly men live in settings that are incongruent with their self-concepts and preferences. Finally, this paper discusses the special vulnerability of men from culturally-diverse backgrounds to elder abuse (resulting from male-dominated socialization and inter-generational conflict).