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The social construction of social problems: the case of elder abuse and neglect

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2013

Zvi Eisikovits ,
Chaya Koren  and
Tova Band-Winterstein
Zvi Eisikovits
Affiliation:
School of Criminology, Center for the Study of Society, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel
Chaya Koren
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, and Center for the Study of Society, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel
Tova Band-Winterstein*
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology and Center for the Study of Aging in the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Tova Band-Winterstein, PhD, Lecturer in the Department of Gerontology and Research Associate at the Center for the Study of Aging in the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel. Phone: +972-4-8342-865. Email: twinters@research.haifa.ac.il.
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Abstract

The interaction and inter-penetrability overlap of abuse and neglect has been previously described. Therefore, the question is not whether a distinction can be made between the two, but how specific events are constructed into abuse and/or neglect based on how each of the protagonists involved (researchers, professional workers, family members, and the older persons themselves) make sense of abuse and neglect. The purpose of this paper is to explore the social and psychological construction of elder abuse and neglect and illustrate the theoretical constructs using case material and its application to the field.

Keywords

elder abuse and neglectsocial constructionsocial workpractical applications
Type
Special Issue Research Articles
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 25 , Issue 8: Elder abuse an international perspective , August 2013 , pp. 1291 - 1298
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2013 

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