Abstract
Elder abuse and caregiving have a complex relationship. Caregiving once was seen as the primary cause of the problem, especially as perpetrated by family members, but also in other arrangements, where assisting frail or impaired older adults was regarded as so stressful and burdensome that mistreatment resulted. Since limited research supported this viewpoint, caregiving has come to be regarded more as a context than cause of abuse occurrence. This chapter examines these perceptions along with presenting caregiving and elder abuse definitions and variations, explanatory theories, and key research on the nature, scope, and consequences of the interface between caregiving and elder abuse. Case studies occasionally are used to clarify and illuminate select study findings. The chapter also includes a description of existing systems, programs, and services to prevent and respond to elder abuse within the caregiving context. Finally, it concludes with recommendations for future research and the need for practice innovations in this area.
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Anetzberger, G.J. (2022). Caregiving and Elder Abuse: A Complex Relationship. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_114
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