Abuse and the Elderly

In recent years, the problem of child abuse--long hidden behind closed doors and ignored by the public--has come to the forefront of public attention. So, tool, have other problems of domestic violence and abuse, such as wife-beating. But there is another category of abuse within the household that has, as yet, attracted little attention. This is abuse of the elderly. Yet the elderly are the fastest-growing segment of the American popula-tion. This report will discuss the problem of abuse of the elderly. It will show that it is an issue of growing importance, both because of the increasing numbers of the elderly and because of other demographic and social factors. This growth in the number of older people, along with a number of other factors which will be detailed below, suggests that abuse of the elderly may become a growing problem in the years ahead.

Our perceptions of the elderly are in a continual state of change. In most traditional societies, and in America through the first part of the 19th century, the old were respected, even revered, as the repository of wisdom and experience. Then, from the mid-19th century into the present century, a new perception of the aged grew up. This is an image of them as feeble and frail, out of touch with their surroundings and generally waiting to die. A number of factors may have led to this change; one was simply that in the earlier period few people--only the strongest and healthiest -ever made it to old age. As medical improveme

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r sisters living together, with perhaps a very old parent or two, are not uncommon. Eighteen percent of the caregivers for the very old are themselves over 60 (Steinmetz, 1981, p. 8). Both those cared for and those taking care of them are predominantly women (Steinmetz, 1981, p. 8). Because--especially in the past--most men married younger women, and because the women live longer, the majority of elderly men are married and living with their wives. When they die, their widows find themselves old, alone, often with minimal financial protection from Social Security or pension plans, and dependent on younger family members for care. And the burden of caring for them falls on women. "Family support systems" are often euphemisms for daughters and daughters-in-law (Crystal, 1982, p. 80). The "feminization of poverty" is a phrase usually associated with young women and children, and particular with unmarried mothers. But it applies just as well to this great, largely hidden population of middle-aged and elderly women caring for their very old mothers or mothers-in-law. Poverty means overcrowding, and it means financial insecurity--and both lead to frustration, to despair, and to abuse. And, indeed, physical abuse is more common among t

Category: Psychology - A