Gender Issues in Elder Abuse

Over the last decade, the issue of elder abuse has gained importance at international and European Union (EU) levels. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Network of the Prevention of Elder abuse (INPEA) have recognised the abuse of older people as a significant global problem, and this has been accepted in a more global sense. In the last three decades, there has been increasing recognition in the United Kingdom (UK) of the abuse and neglect of older adults as a social problem in need of attention, although in some other countries such recognition and resulting attention to the issue has been rather more recent. Elder abuse is a human rights violation resulting in suffering, decreased quality of life and even in some situations hastening mortality. Moreover, it is an infringement of Article 25 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which recognises and respects the rights of older people to lead lives of dignity and independence, and to participate in social and cultural life. The majority of older people are female, and more older women experience abuse than older men (even when controlling for the differences in proportion of the population). It is therefore timely to consider violence and abuse of older women as a topic in its own right. This chapter will explore a number of these issues.