Abstract
Elder neglect is the failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for a vulnerable elder. Self-neglect is the failure to provide for one’s self. Both are among the most commonly reported cases to Adult Protectives Services which is the agency in every state in the USA charged with the investigations of complaints about the well-being and health as well as the protection of vulnerable adults.
These two phenomena arise when the older person experiences a decline in either mental or physical function. This decline is often caused by diseases such as dementia, depression, alcohol abuse, frailty, or late life psychiatric and geriatric syndromes. These illnesses or normal aging often lead to executive dysfunction: the inability to plan, sequence, and carry out the tasks of daily living. Those with impaired cognition can lose decision-making capacity as well as the capacity for self-care and self-protection. When caregiver support is either substandard or absent, the result is serious morbidity and mortality. (See “Berman Intersectionality of Elder Abuse and Mental Health Issues”.
Social justice for these vulnerable seniors can be achieved through various channels. These include the training of health care providers, universal screening, the more widespread use of multidisciplinary intervention teams, and community senior centers. Future strategies include the establishment of forensic centers, more in-depth research, as well as the use of information technology to increase access and efficiency for afflicted older adults.
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Dyer, C., Cannell, M.B., Burnett, J. (2020). Neglect and Self-Neglect of Older Adults. 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/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_86-1
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