Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
Back to contents page
Exploitation, Neglect and Abuse of Older People:
A Review of the Literature
Claire O’Tuathail
R.N., Dip. Gerontology, MSc. Advanced Clinical Practice, Post-Grad.
Cert Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
Lecturer
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Aras Moyola
National University of Ireland
Galway
Ireland.
091 495314. claire.otuathail@nuigalway.ie
Aim
The aim of this study was to undertake a literature review on elder
abuse and provide clarity on a definition, identify the scale of the
problem, examine issues in relation to settings where abuse takes
place and determine any correlations between training and
reporting abuse
Methodology
A search of academic literature from 1996-2007 was conducted
utilising texts, journals, on-line source material and the Social Care
Institute for Excellence framework was used as a basis for
evaluating this research. Sources included electronic databases,
reference lists from relevant primary literature and review articles,
professional journals and concise searching of the internet using
search engines such as “Google”
Key findings
The main messages from the analysis are that research is needed to
consider how consensus over the definition of elder abuse may be
achieved, at the same time reflecting older people’s perceptions and
the legal framework. Agreement is needed about how to establish
more accurate figures on the prevalence of abuse. Perpetrators of
abuse are diverse and exist in a range of settings and relationships
according to perceptions of professionals and others. The
effectiveness of training initiatives should be examined as, despite
an increase in provision, there are gaps in the knowledge of staff as
to what constitutes abuse
- 646 -