First published in 1999. Research on elder abuse in the United States has made great strides in recent years. As a result, we have been able to define and discover the causes of elder abuse, design tools to assess the risk of abuse, develop and implement treatment and prevention strategies, and evaluate programs for victims and perpetrators. However, this research has been derived from studies whose subjects were primarily Caucasian. This is not because elder abuse does not take place in minority communities, but rather because researchers wanted first to study the issue in its broadest sense.

Elder Abuse and Its Prevention is the summary of a workshop convened in April 2013 by the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Global Violence Prevention. Using an ecological framework, this workshop explored the burden of elder abuse around the world, focusing on its impacts on individuals, families, communities, and societies. Additionally, the workshop addressed occurrences and co-occurrences of different types of abuse, including physical, sexual, emotional, and financial, as well as neglect. The ultimate objective was to illuminate promising global and multisectoral evidence-based approaches to the prevention of elder maltreatment. While the workshop covered scope and prevalence and unique characteristics of abuse, the intention was to move beyond what is known about elder abuse to foster discussions about how to improve prevention, intervention, and mitigation of the victims' needs, particularly through collaborative efforts. The workshop discussions included innovative intervention models and opportunities for prevention across sectors and settings. Violence and related forms of abuse against elders is a global public health and human rights problem with far-reaching consequences, resulting in increased death, disability, and exploitation with collateral effects on well-being. Data suggest that at least 10 percent of elders in the United States are victims of elder maltreatment every year. In low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of violence is the greatest, the figure is likely even higher. In addition, elders experiencing risk factors such as diminishing cognitive function, caregiver dependence, and social isolation are more vulnerable to maltreatment and underreporting. As the world population of adults aged 65 and older continues to grow, the implications of elder maltreatment for health care, social welfare, justice, and financial systems are great. However, despite the magnitude of global elder maltreatment, it has been an underappreciated public health problem. Elder Abuse and Its Prevention discusses the prevalence and characteristics of elder abuse around the world, risk factors for abuse and potential adverse health outcomes, and contextually specific factors, such as culture and the role of the community.

Understand violence within its cultural context!To reduce violence, we need to understand what it is, where it comes from, and what it means in cultural context. Violence: Diverse Populations and Communities provides new empirical research and theoretical models to help you understand the impact of violence on various ethnic and cultural groups. From the effects of abuse on Latino children to aged Korean-American women's perceptions of elder mistreatment, this comprehensive volume covers all ages, many ethnic groups, and multiple types of violence.Violence: Diverse Populations and Communities looks at such neglected populations as Mexican, Korean, Vietnamese, and Cambodian immigrants as well as Black, Caucasian, and Latino cultures. The forms of violence studied range from the devastation of war to keeping elders isolated for long periods of time and culturally specific forms of abuse. This comprehensive volume also includes a thorough literature review, stressing the need for more research, especially into the needs and experiences of neglected populations, and suggesting fruitful areas for further inquiry. Violence: Diverse Populations and Communities asks and answers complex questions, including: Is war or street violence more traumatic for adolescent refugees from the Khmer Rouge? What social support benefits do street gangs offer their members? How do cultural expectations of male and female roles affect dating violence? What culturally sensitive interventions best address the needs of a Latina rape survivor? How do women of various Asian cultures respond to spousal battering? How can practitioners working with elder abuse victims define their roles, objectives, and interventions to accommodate cultural differences?The groundbreaking research in Violence: Diverse Populations and Communities provides an illuminating exploration into the cultural meaning of violence. By questioning standard assumptions and discovering what violence means to those who suffer from it and perpetrate it, practitioners can better serve multicultural client populations. This book will change the way you see violence by helping you understand its manifestations within various cultural contexts.

In response to the growing concern for mentally ill minority elders, the Task Force on Ethnic Minority Elderly was established in 1988. Since then, this task force has studied the needs of the elderly population and analyzed the existing service models designed to meet those needs. This Task Force Report presents research on the psychiatric care of African American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Pacific and Asian American elders. The report not only addresses the vast issues confronting ethnic minority elderly, but it also makes a series of recommendations for action at the federal, state, local, and psychiatric community levels.

In their later years, Americans of different racial and ethnic backgrounds are not in equally good-or equally poor-health. There is wide variation, but on average older Whites are healthier than older Blacks and tend to outlive them. But Whites tend to be in poorer health than Hispanics and Asian Americans. This volume documents the differentials and considers possible explanations. Selection processes play a role: selective migration, for instance, or selective survival to advanced ages. Health differentials originate early in life, possibly even before birth, and are affected by events and experiences throughout the life course. Differences in socioeconomic status, risk behavior, social relations, and health care all play a role. Separate chapters consider the contribution of such factors and the biopsychosocial mechanisms that link them to health. This volume provides the empirical evidence for the research agenda provided in the separate report of the Panel on Race, Ethnicity, and Health in Later Life.