University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Sociology

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of (a) respondent age, (b) age and gender of perpetrator and victim, and (c) history of experienced violence on perceptions of elder abuse. Two-hundred and one (N = 201) middle-aged adults and 422 college students were assessed. Measures included adaptations of the Severity of Violence Against Women Scale and Elder Abuse Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions Scale-Revised. Middle-aged respondents viewed psychological behaviors more harshly than young. Middle-aged females and young males were less tolerant of middle-aged perpetrators. While past performance of elder abuse was predictive of future elder abuse, history of childhood abuse was not. Exploratory analyses examined middle-aged respondents' judgments of abusive behaviors and perceptions based on age of perpetrator. Middle-aged and young adults' willingness to respond to dimensions of quality, severity, and reportability were also examined.

Yan Chau Wai Elsie. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-90). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / LIST OF TABLES --- p.i / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.iii / ABSTRACT --- p.iv / CHAPTERS / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- Method --- p.17 / Chapter 3. --- Results --- p.25 / Chapter 4. --- Discussions --- p.75 / REFERENCES --- p.85

This descriptive study with quantitative aspects examined the phenomenon of elder abuse through the systematic review of 60 cases of elder abuse. Cases were randomly selected from the files of an Adult Protective Services agency in the North Central Texas area. Research questions examined the characteristics of the victims and abusers, types and duration of abuse, descriptions of abusive situations, the reporting and verification of abuse, case management strategies utilized by caseworkers, and the consequences of those strategies. The results of this study point to the probability of the elderly abuse victim being 75 years of age or older, female, white, and widowed. There did appear to be some connection between race and type of abuse with white victims more likely to experience physical and financial abuse. Approximately half of the elderly abuse victims had severe limitations in physical and/or mental functioning leading to some degree of dependence upon their abusers. However, eighty percent of the elderly victims resided in their own homes and half of these individuals were functionally independent. This study provided descriptions of the various types of abuse that were observed: physical, financial, emotional, passive neglect, and active neglect. Financial abuse was noted most frequently, and multiple types of abuse were noted in most cases with the combination of physical, financial, and emotional abuse being observed most frequently. Fifteen different categories of case management strategies were examined, averaging four different assistance strategies per case. Legal services appeared to be the most often refused form of assistance. This study also found no evidence that those who abuse the elderly are being prosecuted.

The rationale for this study was based on the application of the cycle of domestic violence theory to elder abuse. It examined the effect of history of experienced childhood violence on tolerance, behavioral intentions, and past behaviors of elder abuse toward general and specific elderly targets. The effectiveness of educational interventions for altering tolerance and behavioral intentions of elder abuse was examined. Two hundred and twenty-five undergraduates were assessed for aging knowledge, general aging attitudes, aging anxiety, elder abuse attitudes, and elder abuse intentions and past behaviors. Participants were assigned to a High or Low Experienced Violence group and participated in an educational group or control group. Posttest and one-month followup measures were obtained. No differences were found at pretest between High and Low Violence. Level of Violence did not impact intervention efficacy. Elder abuse education altered attitudes, intentions, and behaviors of elder abuse at posttest significantly more than did aging education or control groups (p < .001), but these effects were no longer significant at followup. Elder abuse attitudes had higher relationships with elder abuse intentions and reported past behaviors than did global aging attitudes or aging anxiety (p < .05). General elderly targets yielded more tolerance, intentions, and reported past behaviors of elder abuse than did specific elderly targets (p < .001). Experienced childhood abuse was unrelated to elder abuse expression yielding no support for the role of cycle of violence in elder abuse. Specificity of target mediated elder abuse attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Primary prevention interventions which aim to reduce tolerance and intentions of elder abuse should include specific information on elder abuse; aging education is ineffective for this goal.

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.

Elder financial abuse is an alarming problem in this era of aging population. Baby boomers are entering retirement with a higher life expectancy and more wealth than any generation before them. The combination of mental decline and substantial wealth renders many seniors vulnerable to overreach. Empirical studies suggest that financial abuse against seniors is hard to detect and likely prevalent. In private suits alleging elder financial abuse, courts often apply the mental capacity doctrine to avoid seemingly exploitative contracts, gifts and many other lifetime transactions. The formal rationales for avoidance are that the elderly party to the impugned transaction lacked mental capacity, and that the transaction was inequitable. Moreover, guardians and attorneys who manage property for the elderly may have perverse incentives to exploit their position. Presuming the worst from the property manager, courts and legislatures typically impose onerous fiduciary duties to minimize conflicts of interest and deter misconduct. Orthodox fiduciary law explicitly aims to overdeter. This Dissertation first argues that the mental capacity doctrine in prevailing American law is ill-suited for the era of aging population. In theory, the doctrine grants a mentally-incapable individual a power to choose whether to avoid her transactions. In reality, that power is usually exercised by a claimant who expects to inherit from the incapable individual. Prevailing doctrinal theories overlook the possibility that the claimant may seek to avoid a transaction to increase her expected inheritance rather than to advance the interests of the incapable individual. The mental capacity doctrine thus poses a heighted risk of avoiding transactions that actually benefited potentially incapable seniors and reflected their testamentary intent. This harms the welfare of many seniors by unduly limiting their ability to benefit their close relatives and friends, reward informal caregiving, and recruit their preferred caregivers. The mental capacity doctrine can nonetheless be reformulated to offer appropriate protection against elder financial abuse without undue intrusion into close families and personal relationships. In particular, when applied to transactions involving close relatives and friends, the doctrine should be narrow, determinate, and respectful of individual will and preferences. This Dissertation further argues that orthodox fiduciary law is too strict on most guardians and agents who manage property for the elderly. The problem is that mental or physical decline is common among seniors, but a lack of mental capacity typically stultifies the power to authorize a fiduciary to depart from adherence to strict fiduciary duty. By contrast, mentally-capable individuals are free to discharge those aspects of fiduciary law that they find intrusive and undesirable. In other words, while fiduciary law is mostly a default law when applied to capable individuals, it is a mandatory law when applied to elderly incapable individuals. Harming the welfare of many seniors, mandatory application of fiduciary law tends to stultify the pursuit of valuable other-regarding preferences in close families and personal relationships. Such strict and inflexible application further disregards the presence of intrinsic bonds and informal norms. To remedy these shortcomings, this Dissertation proposes a substituted-judgment defense to permit those departures from strict fiduciary law that the incapable individual would have authorized if she was mentally-capable. This defense should be made available to close relatives and friends but not to profit-driven professionals. To deter and sanction elder financial abuse by professional guardians and agents, this Dissertation also proposes reforms to harness their reputational concerns.

The focus of this research project was to evaluate individual stakeholder perceptions of the implementation of Structured Decision Making (SDM) as a tool in risk assessment of elder abuse/neglect case referrals in Riverside County Adult Protective Services (APS). The researchers interviewed ten social workers from Riverside County APS, from line workers up to Deputy Director. Constructivist theory was used to develop a joint construct which indicated that the primary benefit of SDM was consistency. Consistency resulted in safety and proctection of the client, social worker and the agency.

This study explores the relationship between the client's functionality, alleged filial abuse, and the effect of interventions as they relate to future Adult Protective Services (APS) referrals.

M.A. / New legislation regarding older persons in South Africa came into effect on 1 April 2010. Two areas of service delivery in this field were given special attention in the development of the current legislation. Protection for older persons is covered more extensively, with much better provisions having been made for professionals to deal promptly and effectively with the abuse of an older person. The prosecution of any person, who abuses an older person, is also provided for in the current legislation. Community-based care and support services for older persons represent a completely new area of local legislation. The current legislation provides for the creation of a supportive environment, within which a spectrum of well established and well managed services should enable older persons to exercise choice with regards to care options. The spirit of the current legislation fosters the possibility that older persons may receive maximum care, should such need arise, within their own homes. Community-based services for older persons must therefore be registered, and meet the standards set by the legislation, as expressed in Part 1 of the National Norms and Standards. Locally practicing social workers are thus tasked with new implementation and monitoring obligations, which are rather daunting. The goal of this study was to conceptualise, design and assemble a draft of guidelines that may assist social workers in daily implementation tasks, brought about by the new focus areas within the current legislation regarding older persons. A qualitative research approach was followed. The methodology was guided, in part, by the Analysis and Design phases from within the classic Design and Development model (Thomas, 1984) of developmental research. The analysis phase of the study included a document study and a thematic content analysis of the primary data. Themes and sub-themes of the legislative requirements, pertinent to the implementation by social workers, were identified, extracted and transformed by enhancements and explanations drawn from the literature and professional practice experience. Trustworthiness was obtained by constant checking against the primary data and a review by an expert and knowledgeable peers. The end result, the draft guidelines document, is a body of synthesised information that should be accessible and useful to social workers in daily implementation and monitoring practice.