Thesis (M.A.)--San Francisco State University, 1990. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references. Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--San Francisco State University, 1990. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MNursing)--University of South Australia, 2003.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Robin E. Perry, Florida State University, College of Social Work. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 13, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 162 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Guided by a feminist intersectionality framework and conducted within an action research paradigm, this dissertation reports on how social workers in community health care respond to concerns of intimate partner abuse in the lives of older women. The study was undertaken in 18 publicly-funded community health and social services agencies (CLSCs) in Quebec, Canada. Interviews were carried out with 30 social workers and three focus groups were held with some of the same social workers. / In this dissertation, I argue that social workers in community health care might benefit from using certain theoretical frameworks, as they tend to see older women as a homogeneous group, view older women's agency as problematic, and lack a cohesive understanding of the problem of intimate partner abuse -- all of which leaves them less than optimally equipped for intervention. Furthermore, certain features of intimate partner abuse at the intersection of gender, age, and disability can make intervention very complex. As a result, social workers tend to view intimate partner abuse in the lives of older women as an intractable problem, rife with double-binds, contradictions, and tensions, which can leave them feeling powerless. / In the first three chapters of this dissertation I present the study's theoretical framework, its location within the empirical scholarship on intimate partner abuse, and the methods used. I also provide background information on the Quebec context of practice. Chapters 4 and 5 are empirical chapters reporting the findings as they relate to social workers' understandings and their responses. Chapter 6 is the concluding chapter and discusses the three principal findings. The first key finding was that the practice setting shapes social workers' understandings of and responses to the problem. The second key finding was that social workers could benefit from certain theoretical frameworks that would greatly enhance their practice. The third finding is that social workers view intimate partner abuse as both enduring and changing in form, frequency, and intensity over time. The implications for theory, practice, and research are offered for each key finding.

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Background: Elder abuse is a relatively new phenomenon that has remained a hidden and taboo subject throughout history, not only in South Africa, but globally. It is however, emerging as a growing social problem. The problem of elder abuse remains hidden behind the non disclosure of family incidents and institutional incidents (Wolf, 1992). According to Beaulieu and Blanger (1995) elder abuse is a very complex issue with diverse definitions, types and names, has been very slow to capture the public eye and public policy. It is manifested at many levels including physical, psychological, legal and social levels and requires the involvement of different types of professionals. South Africa is amongst countries with disproportionately large population of elderly adults. According to the Department of Health (2000) this situation is due to the impact of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome pandemic on members of the younger generations which has altered the age structure of populations in severely affected countries. South Africa is one such country with KwaZulu-Natal province reported to have an extremely high incidence of the disease. A 2002 report by the World Health Organization revealed that older people were taking on new roles by providing care and financial support to orphaned children and fulfilling child-rearing roles within their extended families. Elder abuse is widespread in South Africa but the definition of abuse remains problematic. While some types of abuse fit with Western typologies, others (such as the rape of women by sons and grandsons to extort pension money, or accusations of witchcraft to seize assets) do not fit the Western typology hence an expanded typology is needed (Ferreira, v 2008). In spite of the progress that has been made in explaining how and why elder abuse occurs, it still remains a poorly understood problem. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore the types and patterns of elder abuse and the extent of the problem in a selected hospital in Durban. Research methodology: Guided by the positivist paradigm, a quantitative, descriptive and explorative design was adopted in this study. As a result, data was collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed statistically using an SPSS package, version 15.0. The whole population of elderly patients (N=1000) in the selected setting was requested to participate in this study. A total of 150 elderly people were used as a research sample which is 10% of the population. All elderly who participated returned completed questionnaires, thus setting the response rate at 100%. Results: The results indicated that the elderly experienced physical abuse more than any type of abuse. The most common types of physical abuse experienced by the elderly included pinching, force-feeding, hitting, biting and slapping, burning, kicking, prevention from access to food and medication, prevention from access to health aids such as eyeglasses, hearing aids and restraining. The abuse was most commonly committed by close relatives, loved ones and carers. It was also found that the elderly were abused financially. It also emerged that the elderly were treated like children and were sometimes accused of witchcraft and labeled within the community as witches. Recommendations: This study recommends a multidisciplinary approach to elder care and management. Because of the growing number of elderly in our society and because they are a vulnerable group which needs special nursing care, it is recommended that the nursing curriculum should include a detailed geriatric syllabus A future qualitative study is recommended that will explore the views of elderly on abuse. Further research that would explore each type of abuse as it occurs in the community is recommended, this will add on the existing limited literature. In South Africa there are national guidelines on the prevention of elderly abuse but these are frequently not implemented to safeguard the health and well being of the elderly. It is recommended that these guidelines should be disseminated to provinces and municipalities and the implementation of guidelines should be monitored and evaluated. / Thesis (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

With the aging of the baby boomers there is a concern for the liklihood of an increase in reported cases of adult and dependent abuse with Adult Protective Services (APS). This study examined what the social work implications were regarding clients who refuse APS interventions and what subsequent outcomes existed. Data was extracted from closed case files for the period of January 1, 2000 and January 31, 2001 in the high desert region of San Bernardino County.