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Elder Abuse

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Handbook of Psychological Approaches with Violent Offenders

Part of the book series: The Plenum Series in Crime and Justice ((PSIC))

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Abstract

With the passage of time, the concept of elder abuse has undergone various transformations. Initially, abuse and neglect of older adults was viewed in the context of protective services; next, framed as an issue of aging; then, family violence; and, most recently, crime. The multiple terms used to describe the person responsible for the violent act, “caregiver,” “abuser,” “perpetrator,” and “offender,” illustrate the different perspectives. As it turns out, each of the interpretations is more closely associated with one form of elder mistreatment than another (e.g., protective services with neglect) rather than representing an evolutionary process in the definition of the issue. Each provides a framework for intervention. The purpose of this chapter is to present information about perpetrators of elder mistreatment and approaches to intervention. (The word “perpetrator” is used to represent the person who is carrying out the abusive or neglectful action.)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Aging, UMass Memorial Health Care, 01605-2982, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    Rosalie S. Wolf

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  1. Rosalie S. Wolf
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

    Vincent B. Van Hasselt

  2. Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon, USA

    Michel Hersen

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Wolf, R.S. (1999). Elder Abuse. In: Van Hasselt, V.B., Hersen, M. (eds) Handbook of Psychological Approaches with Violent Offenders. The Plenum Series in Crime and Justice. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4845-4_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4845-4_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7197-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4845-4

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