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Less equal than others: public responses to government proposals on age discrimination: executive summary
- Author:
- HELP THE AGED
- Publisher:
- Help the Aged
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 15p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The dossier, entitled Less Equal Than Others, contains over 500 responses from people who have witnessed or been the subject of ageism. It reveals the shocking truth about the barrage of age discrimination that older people face every day. In its Executive Summary, Help the Aged concludes that an overwhelming four out of five older people in the UK want age discrimination to be made illegal. The dossier dramatically illustrates the scale of the problem of ageism, and Help the Aged would like to thank everyone who contributed their experiences.
Violence toward older adults in the forms of ageism and sexual offense presented in an old lady: a film review
- Author:
- PARK Cherrie
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 64(4), 2021, pp.436-438.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
An Old Lady is a South Korean film released in the summer of 2020. It is based on an incident where a 69-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by her physiotherapist. The film portrays how the woman was victimized by violence in forms of sexual offense and ageism because of her age. This film is effective in raising people’s attention to violence toward older adults. Further, it can be great educational materials for gerontological social workers. This film review serves to provide a summary of the film’s plot and to discuss its noteworthy features as a tool for gerontological social work education. (Edited publisher abstract)
How do stereotypes harm older adults? A theoretical explanation for the perpetration of elder abuse and its rise
- Authors:
- SHEPHERD Benjamin F., BROCHU Paula M.
- Journal article citation:
- Aggression and Violent Behavior, 57, 2021, p.101435.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Mounting research shows that older adults who experience abuse are at elevated risk for a wide range of negative health and well-being outcomes. Yet, even as the older adult population grows and rates of elder abuse rise across the globe, the issue continues to be overlooked and perpetuated by individuals and institutions across various countries, cultures, and settings. Recognizing, addressing, and preventing the mistreatment of older adults is a challenge because elder abuse is not well-understood or extensively studied, and its root causes are perceived to vary from case to case. In order to fill this gap, we examine elder abuse and its associations with ageism through the lens of two empirically supported, cross-cultural models (i.e., the stereotype content model and BIAS map). These models explain how the acceptance and endorsement of societal stereotypes about older adults on dimensions of warmth and competence lead to emotion-driven, discriminatory behaviors ranging from neglect and abandonment to emotional, financial, and physical harm. This article also serves as a call to action, encouraging researchers, health professionals, policy makers, and community members to gain awareness of their own ageist beliefs and how they influence the way they perceive and interact with older adults. (Edited publisher abstract)
Policies for the aged in the 21st century: more 'structured dependency' or the realisation of human rights?
- Author:
- TOWNSEND Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 26(2), March 2006, pp.161-179.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
By the late 20th century, the plight of millions of older people in many developed countries was regarded as serious and was acknowledged to require concerted cross-national remedial action. Sociologists and social gerontologists only then were beginning to put together explanations rooted in the evolution of social policy and its corresponding institutions. One thesis that attracted support was that the dependency of the aged had been ‘structured’ by long-term economic and social policies. During the final decades of the 20th century, older people were perceived and treated, according to accumulating research evidence, as more dependent than they really were or needed to be. This had been fostered by the emerging institutions of retirement, income maintenance, and residential and domiciliary care. This development had been the responsibility primarily of the State, which tried to deliver welfare but also to accommodate the market. Forms of discrimination against older people had become, or continued to be, as deep as forms of discrimination against women and ethnic minorities. Such ‘institutionalised ageism’ had to be countered. Hopes were invested in anti-discriminatory policies that reflected good reciprocal relationships between the generations in many families and the rights of individuals of any age to human dignity and opportunities to practise their skills. The globalisation of the market and affiliation to neo-liberal policies, together with the simultaneous passage of various instruments of human rights, have changed the nature of the problem, and therefore the debate, during the early 21st century. This paper argues that the release and implementation during and after the Second World War of collective liberal egalitarian values, expressed in many countries in international statements on human rights, as will be shown, had a big impact on the design of public services, including those for older people. If the claims for the elderly in the welfare states of 50 years ago were exaggerated, the claims for older people today are even more exaggerated – at a time of heightened emphasis on individual rights and individual market powers. The various problems of ‘structured’ dependency persist, and seem set to grow in many parts of the world. Human rights offer a framework of rigorous analysis and anti-discriminatory work. Success depends on good operational measurement, and the incorporation of international and national institutions and policies that reflect those rights.
The changing career of "elder abuse and neglect" as a social problem in Canada: Learning from feminist frameworks?
- Author:
- HARBISON Joan
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 11(4), 1999, pp.59-80.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
"Elder abuse and neglect" was constructed as a social problem by experts and has largely been a product of "expert" knowledge building and intervention. The idea of women abuse as a social problem, on the other hand, originated with women themselves. The paper examines the changing social context in which some older people are currently seeking ownership of responses to mistreatment. It explores emerging criticisms of present constructions of "elder abuse and neglect" and the needs they imply, and links these to feminist frameworks. It then considers the appeal and utility of these frameworks for older women active in the fight against mistreatment.
COVID-19 and residential care facilities: issues and concerns identified by the international network prevention of elder abuse (INPEA)
- Authors:
- BEAULIEU Marie, GENESSE Julien Cadieux, ST-MARTIN Kevin
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 22(6), 2020, pp.385-389.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the physical, psychological, social and financial health of older persons. On this subject, the United Nations published a policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on older persons in May 2020. In line with this, the purpose of this general review is to address three issues affecting older persons living in residential care facilities: protective measures implemented to block the virus’ entry, the types of mistreatment most frequently experienced and the necessity to promote and defend the rights of these persons. Design/methodology/approach: The design of this study is based on input gathered since the end of April during meetings of the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) and the results of a July survey of its members. Findings: The survey results indicate variability in the implementation of protective measures in different countries and the significant presence of mistreatment and violation of the rights of older persons. Three major issues demand attention: ageism, systemic and managerial problems and the effects of implemented measures. All these prompt the INPEA to once again plea for the adoption of an international convention of human rights of older persons. Originality/value: To our knowledge, this is the first article sharing the views of the INPEA from a global perspective in the context of COVID-19. (Edited publisher abstract)
Making Wales the best place in the world to grow older: Commissioner's strategy 2019-22
- Author:
- OLDER PEOPLE'S COMMISSIONER FOR WALES
- Publisher:
- Older People's Commissioner for Wales
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 24
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
Outlines the three year strategy of the Older People's Commissioner for Wales which aims to transform the experience of growing older in Wales. The strategy covers three main priorities: ending of ageism and age discrimination; to stop the abuse of older people; and enabling everyone to age well. The strategy also includes measures and indicators that will be used to assess progress, identify what is working well and areas where further work is need. (Edited publisher abstract)
Elder abuse and oppression: voices of marginalized elders
- Authors:
- WALSH Christine A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 23(1), January 2011, pp.17-42.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The aim of this study was to explore the complex interrelationship between oppression and elder maltreatment. Oppression is of itself abusive but it can also increase older adults’ vulnerability to, or exacerbate their experience of, abuse. The authors began by reviewing the literature on oppression and elder abuse. They then undertook a secondary analysis of data from the Elder Abuse Study. This involved focus group discussions on elder abuse with marginalised older adults (n=76) and the professionals caring for them (n=43) in two Canadian cities. The stigmatised/oppressed definitions included women, immigrants, Aboriginals, lesbians, those diagnosed with mood disorders and survivors of abuse. The analysis revealed that increased vulnerability to elder abuse was related to oppression experienced as a consequence of ageism, sexism, ableism/disability, racism, heterosexism/homophobia, classism, and various intersecting types of oppression. The authors note that stereotypes about older adults often became internalised by the older adults themselves, which helps to explain why they can become marginalised. Although many of the participants were marginalised or oppressed in a number of ways an important finding was the resilience of some of the elder abuse victims. The focus groups provided suggestions for how care workers and policy makers might meet the needs of elderly abuse victims.
Age, ethnicity and equalities: synthesising policy and practice messages from two recent studies of elder abuse in the UK
- Authors:
- MANTHORPE Jill, BOWES Alison
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Society, 9(2), April 2010, pp.255-265.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This paper, drawing on comparative discussion of two recent studies of elder abuse in the United Kingdom, outlines the how these studies fit into current policy contexts on adult safeguarding. Elder abuse among people from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups is a complex issues with five key components: cross-cultural divides; professional’s lack of skill with ethnic diversity; family structures dictate that explanations of abuse vary; BME groups may experience additional exclusion through racism, compounding the effects of ageism; and finally the effects of migration, language and culture may impact abuse. Interviews were carried out with 2,111 individuals, aged 66 or older, in the UK between March and September 2006, and discussed specific experiences of abuse and maltreatment. The authors’ discussion draws out the central messages and identifies the challenges that the studies present to recent policy debates and innovations. These relate to the need to properly integrate both wider older people's issues and issues of racism and ethnicity within developments in adult safeguarding policy as well as social care services as the personalisation agenda advances.
Muted lives: older battered women
- Author:
- SEAVER Carol
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 8(2), 1996, pp.3-21.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Battered older women are a silenced and invisible group. They are silenced by ageist assumptions about them as too resistant and hopeless to change or made invisible by the notion that very frail elders are the only victims of elder abuse. Women over 50, abused by partners or adult children, are not accurately perceived and consequently not adequately helped by current domestic violence or elder abuse intervention systems. A new programme serving this group shows some important similarities and differences between younger and older battered women. Although barriers differ across the life cycle, even women of advanced age can be free of abuse or develop coping skills to minimize its damage. This article explores the unique factors affecting older women victimized by domestic abuse. The author concludes with questions and suggestion for helpers interested in better serving older battered women.