The elder in American society occupies a unique social niche. Most have been, and many continue to be, active, involved, and independent individuals. However, due to both disease processes and normal physiological changes, many elders eventually experience what is euphemistically referred to as a "second childhood." Physically, mentally, and/or emotionally, they become dependent upon others for one or many life activities and decisions. This dependence, usually in combination with one or more other variables, can leave the elder vulnerable to abuse. This paper will provide definitions for the several types of elder abuse. It will also explore the causes of elder abuse, offer suggestions for identifying individuals who are at risk, and delineate reporting requirements and interventions strategies for health care providers.
Definitions for abuse are not standardized in the legislation, nor is there complete agreement about what types of abuse exist (Pillemer and Finkelhor, 1988). The five types of abuse most consistently mentioned in some form are physical abuse, emotional abuse, material (or financial) abuse, active neglect, and passive neglect. Godkin, Wolf, and Pillemer provide fairly standard definitions of each (1989). These authors define physical abuse as, "the infliction of physical pain or injury, physical coercion . e.g., slapped, bruised, sexually molested, cut, burned, physically restrained" (1989, 211). Psychological (or emotional) abuse is, "the infliction of mental anguish, e.g., called names, treated as a child, frightened, humiliated . threatened . etc." (1989, 211). Material abuse is, "the illegal or improper exploitation and/or use of funds or other resources" (1989, 211). Active neglect consists of, " refusal or failure to fulfill a care taking obligation . e.g., deliberate abandonment or deliberate denial of food or health-related services" (1989, 211). Finally, passive neglect is the same as active neglect expect that the caretaker exhibited no "conscious and intentional attempt to inflict physical or emotional distress on the elder" (1989, 211).