Awareness and answers for the public health concern of violence in older adults: An introduction to special issue

Abstract

The United States is in the midst of unprecedented demographic change, as the nation increases in age as well as racial and ethnic pluralism (Vespa et al., 2020). As the nation ages and grows more diverse, violence among older adults has been identified as a public health problem (CDC, 2020). As we look toward the demographic turning points projected to occur in the upcoming decades, we are poised to make a real and lasting impact to public health crises, such as violence among older adults, including among racial and ethnically diverse elders. With this in mind, this introduction to the special issue on Violence in Older Adults defines and discusses the seriousness of violence in late life, and outlines the key areas covered including (1) unique factors contributing to aggression and violence in late-life, (2) the perpetration of violence by older adults, (3) assessments and interventions for older adults, and (4) the importance of representation and social context. We close by identifying how the introduction of new public health problem, the COVID-19 pandemic, may impact violence in late-life and summarize important areas for future research and policy.