WorldView Environmental Scan on Elder Abuse

Abstract

In response to a growing and worldwide recognition of elder abuse, the WorldView Environmental Scan on Elder Abuse was undertaken. It represented an attempt to collect both information on the nature of the problem of elder abuse and responses to it from a global perspective. The first of its kind, the Scan gathered information about elder abuse as well as on related legislation and policy, services and programs, educational resources and needs, training, and past and ongoing research. A total of 53 countries responded to the survey questionnaire, with 362 respondents representing the six world regions designated by the World Health Organization. Findings revealed that factors contributing to elder abuse include changing social and economic structures, isolation of victims, inadequate knowledge of laws and services, intergenerational conflict, and poverty. Barriers to seeking resources to intervene and protect older adults include the culture of the country, language issues, literacy, stigma, lack of mobility, lack of funding, and insufficient familiarity with and access to the internet. The data serve as a catalyst to take action, both globally and nationally, while emphasizing the changes necessary to protect the rights and dignity of older adults.

KEYWORDS:

• elder abuse
• international study
• policy

It is with great sadness that we report the untimely passing of Dr. Sue Wilson in September, 2009. Her contribution to this research is immeasurable.

We thank the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) for their support in conducting this study and the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA) for helping with recruiting participants in Canada. We are grateful to our colleagues who assisted us in developing the questionnaire. We are infinitively indebted to Dr. Alexandre Kalache, who negotiated the sensitive situation and obtained access to participants from the Mediterranean. Additionally, we thank Denny Kuteyi, David Salib, Paula Mixson, and our translators for their assistance in making this study possible.