Elder abuse is often defined as "a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.” Consequently, it excludes more general criminal activity such as 'muggings' in the street or 'distraction burglary', where one stranger distracts an older person at their doorstep while another enters the property to steal. This definition has been extended to include dependent adult abuse, which applies when the victim is physically or financially dependent on the abusive caregiver.

There are several types of abuse of older people that are universally recognised as being elder abuse and these include: physical abuse, Psychologically abusing a person, financially, sexually and neglecting their needs.

In addition some countries also recognizes self- abuse and Rights abuse as elder abuse. In rights abuse when some one denying the civil and constitutional rights of a person who is old but not declared by court to be mentally incapacitated. Self neglection is occurred when elderly person neglecting themselves by not caring about their oun health and safty.

Abusers of older people

Perpetrators of elder abuse, can include anyone in a position of control or authority, or anyone who 'grooms' an older person in order to establish a relationship of trust. Abusing relatives represent the majority of abusers, and tend to be the spouse/partner or sons and daughters, although the type of abuse differs according to the relationship. Sometimes also the older people becomes the abuser and the younger one become the victim. In some situations an older person attempting to care for other older person but in case of sort of recourses or absence of external support from family members, relatives and other persons he/she fails in that attempt. This kind of abuse is tend to be a financial abuse.

Detecting and managing elder abuse

Health care and social service workers play a important role in the prevention and detection of elder abuse and neglect over elder people. Physicians especially family physicians are frequently in contact with elder people and are well positioned to detect abuse and to initiate appropriate investigation and intervention. Unfortunately elder abuse are difficult to detect unless there are obvious sign of physical injury.

For preventing elder abuse cases research force was found.The survey was conceived, developed and implemented by a multidisciplinary group of people who were the part of elder abuse and self- neglect force of Hemilton-wentworth. The research group comprised nurses, physicians an epidemiologist, a social worker, a senior volunteer program coordinator, a seniors advisory group and gerontologist student representing the Hemilton-Wentworth Regional public health department, advocacy organization, hospital geriatric programs and McMaster university.

Elder abuse cases are also distinguished by social workers. They play a very active role in detecting, preventing and giving moral support to the victim of abusing.. By the physicians normally used types of services in case of elder abuse cases include social work, specialized geriatric assessment, placement coordination assessment, nursing, individual or family counseling or home making , institutional respite care, day program and In-home caregiver support counseling. These all are the services wich is used more than 50% by 65 physicians.

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