“Like a Wounded Bird”: Older Battered Women's Life Experiences with Intimate Violence

ABSTRACT

Intimate violence against older battered women has been neglected by researchers as well as by practitioners and advocates. The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze the experiences and perceptions of older battered women in coping with and surviving the violence. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty older battered women prior to group intervention. The analysis of interviews revealed four major themes: (1) Experiencing the self from two opposite poles: heroines or fools; (2) Giving up the self for the sake of family members; (3) Children as meaningful others: Friends or foes? (4) Lost in time between a painful past and a trap-like future. These findings are discussed in terms of women's overall existential experience. Some implications for future intervention are suggested.

KEYWORDS:

• Old battered women
• domestic violence
• elder abuse
• wife abuse