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Caregiving and Elder Abuse: A Complex Relationship

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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

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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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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine and Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Georgia J. Anetzberger

Authors
  1. Georgia J. Anetzberger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Georgia J. Anetzberger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. Department of Psychology College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. Global Health Care Center, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA

    Mary Beth Morrissey

  2. Professor of Medicine/Geriatrics, Psychiatry, Dentistry, Clinical Nursing, & Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA

    Thomas Caprio MD

  3. Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

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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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