Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T09:06:13.720Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Access to Justice for Victims/Survivors of Elder Abuse: A Qualitative Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 May 2015

Alan Clarke ,
John Williams  and
Sarah Wydall
Alan Clarke
Affiliation:
Department of Law and Criminology, Aberystwyth University E-mail: ahc@aber.ac.uk
John Williams
Affiliation:
Department of Law and Criminology, Aberystwyth University E-mail: jow@aber.ac.uk
Sarah Wydall
Affiliation:
Department of Law and Criminology, Aberystwyth University E-mail: sww@aber.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Elder abuse can be conceptualised as a social problem, a crime problem and a human rights issue. This article presents the findings from an evaluation of the ‘Access to Justice’ Pilot Project for victims/survivors1 of elder abuse, which was launched in 2010 as part of the Welsh Government's six-year integrated strategy for tackling domestic abuse. It was designed to address the needs of older people in domestic settings and facilitate their access to criminal and civil justice options. Between April and July 2012, case study data were obtained for 131 individuals. A total of thirty-three interviews and a focus group were conducted with service providers, potential service users and practitioners drawn from relevant statutory and third sector groups. The article explores multi-agency responses to elder abuse and addresses the victim‒perpetrator dynamic. Reactive and proactive types of perpetrator2 behaviour are identified and interdependence is described as a feature of the victim‒perpetrator relationship.

Keywords

Elder abuseperpetratorsjusticedomestic violencehuman rights
Type
Articles
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , April 2016 , pp. 207 - 220
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

A v. United Kingdom (1999) 27 EHRR 611.Google Scholar
Access to Justice (2011) ‘Access to Justice pilot for older vulnerable people: domestic abuse’, unpublished Access to Justice Working Group document.Google Scholar
Baker, A. A. (1975) ‘Granny battering’, Modern Geriatrics, 5, 8, 20–4.Google Scholar
Barnett, O. W., Miller-Perrin, C. L. and Perrin, R. D. (1997) Family Violence across the Lifespan: An Introduction, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Bates, P. (1999) ‘New legislation: The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act – the evidence of children and vulnerable adults’, Child and Family Law Quarterly, 11, 8, 289–304.Google Scholar
Baumhover, L. A. and Beale, S. C. (1996) Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of Older Persons: Strategies for Assessment and Intervention, Baltimore: Health Professions Press.Google Scholar
Beaulaurier, R. L., Seff, L. R., Newman, F. L. and Dunlop, B. (2005) ‘Internal barriers to help seeking for middle-aged and older women who experience intimate partner violence’, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 17, 3, 53–74.Google Scholar
Brammer, A. and Biggs, S. (1998) ‘Defining elder abuse’, Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 20, 3, 285–304.Google Scholar
Brandl, B. (2000) ‘Power and control: understanding domestic abuse in later life’, Generations, 24, 2, 39–45.Google Scholar
Burston, G. R. (1975) ‘Granny bashing’, British Medical Journal, 3, 592.Google Scholar
Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (2010) National Inspection of Adult Protection: All Wales Overview, http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Safeguarding/Wales/1/National%20Inspection%20of%20Adult%20Protection%20All%20Wales%20Overview.pdf [accessed 20.03.2014].Google Scholar
Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (2013) Adult Protection Monitoring Report 2010‒2012, Cardiff: Welsh Government.Google Scholar
Chokkanathan, S. and Lee, A. F. (2005) ‘Elder mistreatment in urban India: a community based study’, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 17, 2, 45–61.Google Scholar
Clarke, A., Williams, J., Wydall, S. and Boaler, R. (2012) An Evaluation of the ‘Access to Justice’ Pilot Project, Cardiff: Welsh Government, http://wales.gov.uk/statistics-and-research/evaluation-access-to-justice-pilot/?lang=en [accessed 08.03.2014].Google Scholar
Communities and Culture Committee (2008) Domestic Abuse in Wales: Access to Justice and the Rule of Law, Cardiff: National Assembly for Wales.Google Scholar
Cooper, C., Selwood, A. and Livingston, G. (2008) ‘The prevalence of elder abuse and neglect: a systematic review’, Age and Ageing, 37, 2, 151–60.Google Scholar
Council of Europe (1950) Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, http://www.conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/005.htm [accessed 11.05.2015].Google Scholar
Cyphers, G. C. (1999) ‘Out of the shadows: elder abuse and neglect’, Policy and Practice of Public Human Services, 57, 3, 25–30.Google Scholar
Davies, R., Collins, M., Netana, C., Folkes, L., Jenkins, R., Tombs, M., Kaye, A., Stackhouse, B. and Evans, C. (2011) Exploring the Motivations of Perpetrators Who Abuse Vulnerable Adults, Newport: University of Wales, http://udid.research.glam.ac.uk/media/files/documents/2012–10–11/Final_Report_post_peer_review_June_2012.pdf [accessed 26.03.2014].Google Scholar
Department of Health (1993) No Longer Afraid: The Safeguard of Older People in Domestic Settings, London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Doorson v. Netherlands (1996) 22 EHRR 330, para 70.Google Scholar
Fitzgerald, G. (2006) ‘The realities of elder abuse’, in Wahidin, A. and Cain, M. (eds.), Ageing, Crime and Society, Cullompton, Devon: Willan Publishing.Google Scholar
Glendenning, F. (1997) ‘What is elder abuse and neglect?’, in Decalmer, P. and Glendenning, F. (eds.), The Mistreatment of Elderly People, 2nd edn, London: Sage, pp. 13–41.Google Scholar
Griffiths, A., Roberts, G. and Williams, J. (1997) ‘Elder abuse and the law’, in Decalmer, P. and Glendenning, F. (eds.), The Mistreatment of Elderly People, 2nd edn, London: Sage, pp. 88–101.Google Scholar
Harris, S. (1996) ‘For better or for worse: spouse abuse grown old’, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 8, 1, 1–33.Google Scholar
Harvie, P. and Manzi, T. (2011) ‘Interpreting multi-agency partnerships: ideology, discourse and domestic violence’, Social and Legal Studies, 20, 1, 79–95.Google Scholar
Health and Social Care Committee (2013) Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Bill: Stage 1 Committee Report, Cardiff: National Assembly for Wales.Google Scholar
Hester, M. (2009) Who Does What to Whom? Gender and Domestic Violence Perpetrators, Bristol: University of Bristol in association with the Northern Rock Foundation, http://www.bristol.ac.uk/sps/research/projects/reports/2009/rj4843/whodoeswhat.pdf [accessed 25.03.2014].Google Scholar
Home Office (1998) Guidance on Statutory Crime and Disorder Partnerships, London: Home Office.Google Scholar
House of Commons Health Committee (2004) Elder Abuse: Second Report of Session 2003‒04, London: The Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Hughes, R. (1998) ‘Considering the vignette and its application to a study of drug injecting and HIV risk and safer behaviour’, Sociology of Health and Illness, 20, 3, 381–400.Google Scholar
Iborra, I. (2008) Research Report on a Survey of Elder Mistreatment, Valencia: Queen Sofia Centre for the Study of Violence.Google Scholar
Kelly, L. (1999) Domestic Violence Matters: An Evaluation of a Development Project, Home Office Research Study 193, London: Home Office.Google Scholar
Lau, E. E. and Kosberg, J. I. (1979) ‘Abuse of the elderly by informal care providers’, Ageing, 299‒300, 10–15.Google Scholar
Laumann, E. O., Leitsch, S. A. and Waite, L. J. (2008) ‘Elder mistreatment in the United States: prevalence estimates from a nationally representative study’, The Journals of Gerentology, Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 63, 4, S248–S254.Google Scholar
Lithwick, M., Beaulieu, M. and Gravel, S. (1999) ‘The mistreatment of older adults: perpetrator‒victim relationships and interventions’, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 11, 4, 95–112.Google Scholar
Lowenstein, L. (2009) ‘Elder abuse and neglect – “old phenomenon”: new directions for research, legislation, and service developments’, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 21, 3, 278–87.Google Scholar
Lundy, M. and Grossman, S. F. (2004) ‘Elder abuse: spouse/intimate partner abuse and family violence among elders’, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 16, 1, 85–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Magill, J., Yeates, V. and Longley, M. (2010) Review of ‘In Safe Hands’: A Review of the Welsh Assembly Government's Guidance on the Protection of Vulnerable Adults in Wales, Treforest: University of Glamorgan: Welsh Institute of Health and Social Care.Google Scholar
Mirrlees-Black, C. (1999) Domestic Violence: Findings from a New British Crime Survey Self Completion Questionnaire, Research Study 191, London: Home Office.Google Scholar
National Assembly for Wales (2000) In Safe Hands: Implementing Adult Protection Procedures in Wales, Cardiff: Social Services Inspectorate.Google Scholar
Nerenberg, L. (2008) Elder Abuse Prevention: Emerging Trends and Promising Strategies, New York: Springer.Google Scholar
NHS Information Centre (2013) Abuse of Vulnerable Adults in England 2011‒2012, Final Report, Experimental Statistics, London: NHS Information Centre.Google Scholar
Ogg, J. and Munn-Giddings, C. (1993) ‘Researching elder abuse’, Ageing and Society, 13, 3, 389–413.Google Scholar
O’Keefe, M., Hills, A., Doyle, M., McCreadie, C., Scholes, S., Constantine, R., Tinker, A., Manthorpe, J., Biggs, S. and Erens, B. (2007) UK Study of Abuse and Neglect of Older People: Prevelance Survey Report, London: National Centre for Social Research.Google Scholar
Payne, B. K. (2002) ‘An integrated understanding of elder abuse and neglect’, Journal of Criminal Justice, 30, 6, 535–47.Google Scholar
Penhale, B. (2003) ‘Older women, domestic violence, and elder abuse: a review of commonalities, differences and shared approaches’, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 15, 3–4, 163–83.Google Scholar
Penhale, B. (2008) ‘Elder abuse in the United Kingdom’, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 20, 2, 151–68.Google Scholar
Pillemer, K. (1986) ‘Risk factors in elder abuse: results from a case control study’, in Pillemer, K. and Wolf, R. (eds.), Elder Abuse: Conflict in the Family, Dover, MA: Auburn House, pp. 239–64.Google Scholar
Pillemer, K. and Finkelhor, D. (1988) ‘The prevalence of elder abuse: a random sample’, The Gerontologist, 28, 1, 51–7.Google Scholar
Pillemer, K. and Frankel, S. (1991) ‘Violence against the elderly’, in Rosenberg, M. and Fenley, M. A. (eds.), Violence in America: A Public Health Approach, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 158–83.Google Scholar
Podnieks, E. (1992) ‘National survey on abuse of the elderly in Canada’, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 4, 1–2, 5–58.Google Scholar
Smith, E. (2012) Violent Crime Against the Elderly Reported by Law Enforcement in Michigan, 2005‒2009, NCJ 238546, Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice.Google Scholar
Smyth, G. (2011) ‘Mediation in cases of elder abuse and mistreatment: the case of University of Windsor Mediation Services’, Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues, 30, 121–47.Google Scholar
Straka, S. M. and Montminy, L. (2006) ‘Responding to the needs of older women experiencing domestic violence’, Violence Against Women, 12, 3, 251–67.Google Scholar
United Nations (2002) Abuse of Older Persons: Recognizing and Responding to Abuse of Older Persons in a Global Context, New York: United Nations Economic and Social Council.Google Scholar
Welsh Assembly Government (2003) The Strategy for Older People in Wales 2003–2008, http://wales.gov.uk/topics/olderpeople/publications/strategy?lang=en [accessed 15.01.2014).Google Scholar
Welsh Assembly Government (2008) The Strategy for Older People in Wales 2008‒2013, http://wales.gov.uk/topics/olderpeople/publications/strategy2008–2013/?lang=en [accessed 15.01.2014].Google Scholar
Welsh Assembly Government (2010) The Right to be Safe, http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dsjlg/publications/commsafety/100325besafefinalenv1.pdf [accessed 15.01.2014].Google Scholar
Williams, J. (2002) ‘Public law protection of vulnerable adults’, Journal of Social Work, 2, 3, 293–316.Google Scholar
Williams, J. (2010) ‘Elder abuse’, in Brookman, F., Maguire, M., Pierpoint, H. and Bennett, T. (eds.), Handbook on Crime, Cullompton, Devon: Willan Publishing, pp. 415–27.Google Scholar
Williams, J., Wydall, S. and Clarke, A. (2013) ‘Protecting older victims of abuse who lack capacity: the role of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocate’, Elder Law Journal, 2, 3, 167–74.Google Scholar
World Health Organisation (2002a) Missing Voices: Views of Older Persons on Elder Abuse, Geneva: World Health Organisation.Google Scholar
World Health Organisation (2002b) The Toronto Declaration on the Global Prevention of Elder Abuse, Geneva: World Health Organisation.Google Scholar