Elder abuse: an overview of recent and current developments

Within the last 6 years there has been increasing recognition of the problem of elder abuse and neglect in the United Kingdom (UK). However, defining elder abuse and neglect remains problematic. Identification of those people who are abused, and their abusers, is also fraught with difficulties. Interventions with victims and perpetrators of elder abuse and neglect are in the formative stages of development. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief overview of elder abuse and neglect, and to consider some of the difficulties in both the detection of, and intervention in, abusive situations. The dynamics of abuse will be considered, as will the need for multi-disciplinary approaches to identification, assessment and intervention.