Fifty years of elder abuse research: what have we learned about risk, assessment, prevention, and treatment?

Abstract

Elder abuse has been a focus of research and policy for over half a century. This article discusses this history, Focusing on elder abuse in the community, we trace seminal studies and innovative research and policy efforts that have sought to address key elder abuse questions, including how prevalent elder abuse is, why it occurs, risk and protective factors, and what is known about how it can be prevented/addressed. Although reviews indicate that effective interventions are lacking, we discuss several promising approaches at the program and organizational level. We recommend building on approaches from child maltreatment and intimate partner violence, including applying risk assessments that offer important lessons for elder abuse. We conclude by recommending refinement of assessments to identify different types of risks, along with interventions that recognize different etiologies and treatment approaches.