ABSTRACT
According to a World Health Organisation report (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, and Lozano-Ascencio 2002), elder abuse (EA) is one of the leading global public health issues and societal problems of our time. This phenomenon may become even more important in the future given the aging of the population which is defined by the augmentation of the proportion aged 65 years and its increased risk of frailty. Indeed, it is estimated that over 6 per cent of the aged population are victims of some form of abuse whether they live alone, with others in the community or in residential facilities (Cooper, Selwood, and Livingston 2008) and it is well documented that dependency on others for care is linked to EA (Bonnie and Wallace 2003).
