Elder Abuse Intervention Strategies

Summary The debate in the field of elder abuse as to whether elder abuse is caused by caregiver stress or abuser impairment has precipitated a discussion as to whether elder abuse should be considered a social service issue, or a criminal justice problem (Wolf, 1999). Even when family violence rises to the level of a crime as defined by state penal code, some professionals argue that a social service approach is best suited to address this social problem. The study presented here compares an elder abuse program providing social services to elder abuse victims with another serving elderly victims of crimes.