Responding to the Needs of Older Women Experiencing Domestic Violence

Olderwomen experiencing domestic violence are an invisible group who fall into the gap between two forms of family violence: elder abuse and domestic violence. This article reviews the literature in both fields, describing each paradigm, how it explains and responds to its specific form of violence, and why neither has been able to provide an adequate response to domestic violence against older women. A collaborative response is needed, accounting for both the age and gender dimensions of the problem.