This thesis focus on the growing problem of elder mistreatment in the United States and related risk factors. In particular, focus is given to the problem of elder financial exploitation using survey analysis of an urban adult sample in the United States.

Introduction: The aging population is a rapidly growing demographic in the United States. Isolation, limited autonomy, and declining physical and mental health render many older adults vulnerable to elder mistreatment (EM). The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and correlates of EM among a sample of older adults using legal assistance services in Atlanta, Georgia. Methods: Researchers administered surveys to consenting older adults (aged 60þ) in 5 metro Atlanta community centers that hosted legal assistance information sessions as part of the Elderly Legal Assistance Program. The surveys screened for risk factors and prevalence of EM risk using valid and reliable measures and included additional questions regarding demographics characteristics and healthcare use behaviors. Results: Surveys were completed by 112 participants. Findings reveal that 32 (28.6%) respondents met the criteria for elder abuse / neglect risk; 17 (15.2%) respondents met criteria for depression; and 105 (93.7%) had visited a healthcare provider during the past 6 months. Conclusion: The rates of EM risk in this sample were higher than those previously reported in research. Findings support continued examination of unique risks that may be present among older adults who may be possibly facing legal issues. Additionally, the reported frequency of healthcare visits among participants reveals a promising opportunity to examine development of a more widespread EM screening approach to be conducted in non-emergency settings. Interdisciplinary collaboration is required to inform screening approaches that account for complexities that EM cases present. [West J Emerg Med. 2013;14(4):309–315.]

Submitted by William Justo Figueiro (williamjf) on 2015-07-18T13:18:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 50c.pdf: 611310 bytes, checksum: 08197de5e2df9c6e9b1ed44b5603e607 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-18T13:18:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 50c.pdf: 611310 bytes, checksum: 08197de5e2df9c6e9b1ed44b5603e607 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05 / Nenhuma / A violência contra o idoso é um tema de relevância para a saúde pública, devido, sobretudo, ao crescimento da população acima de 60 anos. Este estudo objetivou fazer uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o tema da violência contra o idoso no período de 2005 a 2010. As bases de dados consultadas foram: LILACS, SciELO, MEDLINE, ISI Web of Knowledge e Academic Search Premier. Um total de 1098 artigos foi encontrado. Após a exclusão dos documentos que não eram artigos, que não estavam disponíveis na íntegra, materiais repetidos e que não abordavam diretamente à temática, restaram 211 artigos que foram analisados de acordo com o tipo de estudo, o país de origem e as subtemáticas mais estudadas dentro do grande tema da violência contra o idoso. Houve um predomínio de estudos quantitativos e, entre os países, Estados Unidos foi o país que mais publicou. As subtemáticas mais estudadas foram agrupadas nas seguintes categorias: 1) estudos de prevalência; 2) fatores de risco e proteção para o abuso; 3) diagnóstico e validação de instrumentos; 4) percepções sobre a violência contra o idoso; 5) conseqüências do abuso; e 6) prevenção e intervenção em situações de abuso. / Violence against the elderly is a topic of relevance to public health, largely due to the 60 years and older population growth. This study aimed to make a bibliographic review on the subject of elder abuse in the period 2005 to 2010. The databases consulted were: LILACS, SciELO, MEDLINE, ISI Web of Knowledge and Academic Search Premier. A total of 1098 articles were found. After excluding documents that were not articles, were not available in full text, repeated material and material that did not addressed directly the issue, remaining 211 articles were analyzed according to the type of study, country of origin and the most studied sub themes within the major topic of violence against the elderly. There was a predominance of quantitative studies and, between countries, the United States was the country that most published. The most studied sub themes were grouped into the following categories: 1) prevalence studies; 2) risk and protection factors for abuse; 3) instruments’ diagnosis and validation; 4) perceptions about elder abuse; 5) consequences of abuse; and 6) prevention and Intervention in situations of abuse.

No description available.