Neglect as an aspect of the mistreatment of elderly people: reflections on the issues
| Pages | 24-35 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14668203200800005 |
| Date | 01 February 2008 |
| Published date | 01 February 2008 |
| Author | Olive Stevenson |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Sociology |
24 ©Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Limited The Journal of Adult Protection Volume 10 Issue 1 • February 2008
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Introduction
In the past two years, I have been preparing a second edition of
my book on neglected children (Stevenson, 1998; 2007). In the
10 years since the first edition, the problem of serious neglect
as an aspect of child abuse has become more pressing, both in
terms of numbers and in the difficulties of intervening effectively.
Ihave a longstanding interest in comparing and contrasting
the two fields of child and adult protection, an interest which
was strengthened by work for the Department of Health
between 1995 and 1999, in which I was asked to consider
what might be learnt from child protection for work in elder
protection, at that time emerging as a separate cause for
concern. This led to two publications: the first dealt with
issues of elder protection in the community (Stevenson,
1996), the second with residential care (Stevenson, 1999).
There are many differences in legal, social, physical and
psychological mistreatment between these two life stages; at
the time when those papers were in preparation, there were
anxieties lest the differences rather than the similarities were
underestimated. This may have been in part an underlying
resistance to being swept along on a tide of public and
media outrage and thence being sucked into systems of
organisational defences against risk and anxiety,the negative
aspects of which were by then being discussed in relation
to child protection. It may also be that, in relation to
elderly people, there was (understandable) resistance to
acknowledging the vulnerability and dependency of those who
are mistreated. In childhood, vulnerability and dependency are
accepted as inevitable and wholesome. Ambivalent feelings
surround these concepts when elderly people areconsidered.
There is reluctance to dwell on those aspects of aging that
Neglect as an aspect of the
mistreatment of elderly people:
reflections on the issues Olive Stevenson
Professor Emeritus of Social Work, School of
Social Studies, University of Nottingham
Conceptual paper
key words
neglect, old people, definitions,
prevalence, morality
abstract
This paper discusses the neglect
of old people as an element of
mistreatment. It considers the
definition and prevalence of neglect
and issues arising both in self-
neglect and in the context of
professional and personal
relationships.It is argued that the
underlying reasons for ‘omissions of
care’ are various and complex and
that distinctions between
‘intentional’ and ‘unintentional’
neglect may be unhelpful. Present
evidence suggests that it is the
oldest and most vulnerable of
elderly citizens who are most likely
to experience neglect and that the
numbers are not inconsiderable.This
has far reaching implications for
society and for many aspects of
social policy and poses a moral
challenge to us all.
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