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Abuse of people with dementia

Part of: Bespoke shallow archive Weizmann

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 August 2009

Amber Selwood  and
Claudia Cooper
Amber Selwood*
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences, UCL, London
Claudia Cooper
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences, UCL, London
*
Address for correspondence: Amber Selwood, Department of Mental Health Sciences, University College London, Holborn Union Building, Archway Campus, Highgate Hill, London N19 5LW. Email: [email protected]
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Summary

People with dementia are particularly vulnerable to abuse. It is inherently difficult to study as it is a hidden offence, perpetrated against vulnerable people with memory impairment, by those on whom they depend. In the general population, 6% of older people have experienced abuse in the last month and this rises to approximately 25% in vulnerable populations such as people with dementia. We know that various factors in the carer and the care recipient can predispose to a higher rate of abuse and this knowledge can be harnessed to try and improve prevention. There are also valid and reliable scales available to help detect abuse in vulnerable older adults. All health and social care professionals have a responsibility to act on any suspicion or evidence of significant abuse or neglect in order to ensure that appropriate management is taken.

Keywords

Elder abusedementiacarer
Type
Neuropsychiatry of old age
Information
Reviews in Clinical Gerontology , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , February 2009 , pp. 35 - 43
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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