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Self-Neglect in Older Adults

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Advances in Elder Abuse Research

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Aging ((Int. Perspect. Aging,volume 24))

Abstract

Medical advancements have significantly increased life expectancy, and people over the age of 65 (older adults) are the fastest-growing population in the world (World Health Organization 2015). Population aging has brought to the fore prevailing under-discussed public health issues such as self-neglect. The National Centre on Elder Abuse (NCEA) posits that Self-Neglect (SN) is ‘the behaviour of an elderly person that threatens his/her own health and safety’ (Adminstration on Aging 2016). Self-neglect can vary in presentation and severity and was first identified in the 1950s. A variety of terms such as Diogenes syndrome (Reyes-Ortiz et al. 2014), and domestic squalor (Snowdon et al. 2012) have been used to describe and define self-neglect (Gibbons et al. 2006; Lauder et al. 2009). A concept anlysis by Day (2016) concluded that self-neglect can manifest both externally and internally and defining attributes were environmental neglect and cumulative behaviors (service refusal, isolation, poor social networks, reduced engagement, poor self-care, neglect of health, hygiene, nutrition, and finances) that could be intentional or non-intentional.

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  1. School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

    Mary Rose Day

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  1. National Centre for the Protection of Older People, School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland

    Amanda Phelan

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Day, M.R. (2020). Self-Neglect in Older Adults. In: Phelan, A. (eds) Advances in Elder Abuse Research. International Perspectives on Aging, vol 24. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25093-5_7

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