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Gender Issues in Elder Abuse
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Gender Issues in Elder Abuse



192 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Filling a gap on the existing literature on elder abuse and gender, Gender Issues in Elder Abuse analyzes the ways in which gender is central to the occurrence, detection, and prevention of elder abuse. The authors identify the gendered nature of elder abuse and contend that most elderly victims are women and that in domestic and in institutional settings women abuse women. They also argue that a significant number of older women are abused by their sons, a significant number of older men are abused by their female partners and daughters, and abuse occurs by both sexes of nonrelatives and noncarers. This groundbreaking volume considers why much of the research on elder abuse has failed to engage with these facts. The authors call for a reframing of the issue of elder abuse, specifically in professional guidelines for dealing with abuse which, they insist, should include gender awareness. They argue for elder abuse to be considered as a human rights issue rather than a private problem. This book will be essential reading for academics, students, and professionals in social work, social policy, women's studies, and gerontology.
 
Introduction
 
Thinking in Numbers - The Feminization of Old Age and Its Conditions
 
Gender Issues in the History of Research on Elder Abuse
 
Ageism and Sexism - Discrimination in/of Old Age
 
Paid To Care - Gender Issues in Elder Abuse in Institutional Settings
 
Who Cares? A Gendered View of Care and Elder Abuse in Domestic Settings
 
Conclusion
Do We Care? Future Directions for Work on Gender Issues in Elder Abuse

 

`The book is compelling reading...I found I could not easily put it down. The authors successfully integrate abuse in domestic and residential settings with discrimination in old age, and what I found especially useful were the conclusions at the end of each chapter. Thus the book is not only readable but well structured....The book successfully challenges our existing understanding and offers an alternative conceptual framework to the usual socio-medical models... I unreservedly recommend this book to all who seek truth' - Community Care

`A firm foundation is laid for any professional, carer, volunteer or student working with older people to rethink the issue of gender and how important it is in relation to elder abuse.... A strength of the book must be the diverse

backgrounds of the authors. Griffin is an academic from Leeds Metropolitan University and Aitken a Unit Manager at Northamptonshire County Council Social Services Department. This book attractively combines theory, research and practice. Practitioners will welcome the insights into Aitken's experiences within her department. The authors have laid the foundation for future work in this area. It has been a long struggle to put elder abuse on the agenda in this country and the momentum needs to be maintained' - Ageing & Society

`For the increasing number of professionals and students undergoing professional training who are becoming aware of and concerned about the issues connected with elder abuse and neglect, this book is likely to be of interest with its clear focus on gender issues.... This book is clearly written and accessible and provides some useful information. It provokes thought and challenges ideas' - British Journal of Social Work

Lynda Aitken

Gabriele Griffin