Janet Carter-Anand: Older people’s perceptions of elder abuse: Implications for policy and professional practice

The development of elder abuse services has traditionally been defined from the perspective of policy makers and professionals. This presentation will outline the findings from the first all-Ireland study that consulted older people as to their views on what interventions and services support people experiencing abuse. The subsequent report found that older people perceived elder abuse more in terms of “personhood abuse”. The policy implication of these findings for service development is that enhanced attention and resources should be directed to community development activities that empower older people to share their concerns informally thereby gaining confidence to seek more formal interventions when necessary.