ABSTRACT
Elder abuse and neglect is a complex and sensitive area to investigate satisfactorily. A great deal of the early research within the field of elder abuse set out to determine the ‘typical characteristics’ of victims of abuse, resulting in some unfortunate stereotypes. The predominant focus has been on abuse of elders by their careers in the domestic setting, although increasingly there has been a move towards consideration of abuse occurring within institutional settings. In literature a number of examples of elder abuse have been given which include dementia as a component factor. The researchers proposed a strong association between the high physical and psychological demands often experienced by caregivers of individuals with dementia and the occurrence of physical abuse. A further UK study focused on asking carers of people with dementia about the possible occurrence of physical and verbal abuse and neglect of the person they were caring for.
