Elder abuse and neglect

Abstract

The true essence of the aging process is the interaction between the subjective decrease in the cognitive and non-cognitive plane that produces a functional alteration on the activities of daily life. The evolution of the population pyramid has revealed a significant increase in the proportion of the elderly throughout the world and without clearly establishing the social roles of this group. One of the biggest predisposing factors for elder abuse is the concept that society has about aging (fragility and dependency) together with a weakening of family ties and the lack of economic resources for adequate care. In Spain in 2018, 2,037,700 people over 65 who lived alone were counted, this data joins that in 2019 29.93% older suffered from dependency; data that increases exponentially when they exceed 80 years. It is estimated that elder abuse reaches 52.6% in the community, with dependency being the main risk factor. Elder abuse can present different forms of abuse, neglect or neglect with specific signs and symptoms; being the psychological the most frequent way of elder abuse. The profile of the abused is characterized by being a woman; 75-year-old mayor with cognitive disabilities or dementia; while the abuser / a relative, with limited financial resources and long-term care. The approach in case of detecting mistreatment of the mayor in the community, follows an action plan backed by the World Health Organization and the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology. Interest in elder abuse has a growing interest in the scientific literature.

Keywords

• maltrato
• negligencia
• anciano
• dependencia