Violenza contro le persone anziane

Abstract

Abuse against elderly persons is extremely frequent, although very often is not declared, and entails high human and financial costs. There are on the whole three types of abuse including domestic, institutional, and auto inflicted. It is difficult to get enough information to define the real dimension of the problem, but data from the National Elder Abuse Incidence Study (NEAIS) describe an increasing and expanding phenomenon. The large proportions of this type of violence has lead the World Health Organization to propose strategies primarily focused on three points: Awareness, Education en Defence. An important role in the prevention and diagnosis of elderly abuse is in the hands of the physicians, particularly the geriatricians, who by means of an accurate clinical evaluation and socio-environmental analysis of the elderly conditions may identify the different forms of abuse, prevent them by the identification of risk factors, and once recognized, contact the competent Authorities.