Abstract
Objectives: The concern about elder abuse increases as the global population ages. Elder abuse is a global public health, human rights, and criminal justice problem that goes beyond socioeconomic classes and regions. It remains understudied, especially in developing countries with limited resources. It is therefore timely to do a review of the available research on elder abuse in South Africa, to be able to address the gaps in the research with future projects.Methods: Publications were identified from PubMed, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Sabinet, Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, E-Journals, Family and Society Studies Worldwide, PsycARTICLES, Criminal Justice s, and Social Work s. Fourteen articles on elder abuse in South Africa were selected for further review. This paper provides a narrative review of elder abuse in South Africa and is not a systematic review.Discussion: South Africa is a multicultural nation, plagued by HIV/AIDS, poverty, and the remaining effects of the legacy of apartheid. This background sets the stage for categories of abuse that are unique to the country that are highlighted in this review. The available research on elder abuse is very limited and no reliable data about the prevalence of elder abuse in South Africa could be found.Conclusions: There is a clear need for more longitudinal research about all aspects of elder abuse in South Africa. To improve future research efforts consensus has to be reached about a universal operational definition of abuse and an elder abuse instrument with a clear cut-off for definite elder abuse.
Highlights
As the global population ages, the number of people aged 60 years and older is estimated to reach 2 billion by 2050
It is considered timely to provide and overview of the available research on elder abuse in South Africa, to be able to address the gaps in the research with future projects
After the two volumes report of the findings was published, awareness of elder abuse increased leading to changes in policy and legislation in South Africa
Summary
As the global population ages, the number of people aged 60 years and older is estimated to reach 2 billion by 2050. This increase in the older population heightens the concern about elder abuse and neglect. Elder abuse is a global public health, human rights, and criminal justice problem. It goes beyond, socioeconomic classes, regions, languages, and ethnicities, but remains understudied, especially in developing countries with limited resources. Available evidence suggests that elder abuse is prevalent, predictable, costly, and sometimes fatal [1]. An estimated overall prevalence of elder abuse of ∼10% is considered reasonable, but is likely to be an underestimate. The prevalence of abuse in institutional settings are considered to be higher, with up to 64.2% of staff admitting to elder abuse based on self-report
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