Elderly Mistreatment from Family Caregivers: The hidden Face of Elderly abuse

Abstract

Abstract Background: Elder mistreatment is a well-recognized public health issue with complex underlying factors. A shared living arrangement for elderly people may increase the risk for abuse, particularly physical, psychological, and financial abuse. Objective: To assess the elderly mistreatment from family caregivers and their risk factors. Design: a descriptive cross-sectional. Setting: The study was carried out in twelve primary health care centers at Port-Said Governorate, and outpatient clinics for the elderly at Port Said Psychiatric Health Hospital. Participants: Sample was composed of 912 elderly persons, who were selected by the cluster sampling technique. Methods: Three tools were utilized to collect data; firstly socio-demographic characteristics of the elderly and independence scale in daily life activities. Second tool was the Vulnerability abuse screening scale, last one was elder assessment instrument. Results: The neglect was the predominant type of elder mistreatment, followed by abandonment and exploitation, while physical abuse was the least frequent. Conclusion: The results indicated that the neglect was a highly abuse domain among elderly people. Moreover, the elderly who older, dependent, and living with a caregiver are more vulnerable to mistreatment. Recommendations: There was an urgent need for developing a psycho-educational program for caregivers of elderly people about the prevention of elderly mistreatment with qualified and trained psychiatric nurses.