Elder Abuse and Neglect

Elder abuse and neglect encompass a range of harmful behaviors directed at older adults—physical, emotional, and financial—that occur in both private homes and institutional care settings, often perpetrated by family members or caregivers. Demographic researchers study how frequently these forms of mistreatment occur, which populations face the greatest risk, and how abuse relates to outcomes including accelerated mortality and psychological harm. Because older adults with cognitive impairment, social isolation, or financial dependence are disproportionately vulnerable, understanding the structural and relational conditions that enable exploitation is central to the work. Active questions include how to design interventions that are effective across diverse community contexts and how to improve detection in settings where mistreatment routinely goes unreported.

Works

33,491

Total citations

181,745

Keywords

Elder AbuseNeglectFinancial ExploitationRisk FactorsPrevalenceCommunity Settings