Abuse and Neglect in Older Men

Abstract

Abstract Elder abuse and mistreatment is a growing national concern. While victims and perpetrators are both men and women, much of the focus has been on women. Reports of the gender distribution of elder mistreatment conflict with some studies citing a greater prevalence in males and others showing a female predominance. The article summarizes the research on elder mistreatment, emphasizing the gender distribution. Older men are more likely to be victims of neglect, particularly abandonment. We use case vignettes to illustrate these major research findings. We also present data from a series of focus group interviews that included older men. The comments of the men about elder mistreatment were analyzed and are presented in this article. Through these findings we show that more research is needed to understand the similarities and differences between male and female victims of elder abuse and mistreatment.