Abstract
Abstract Objective: To analyze the occurrences of financial abuse against older adults. Methods: a descriptive and retrospective cross-sectional study with a qualitative and quantitative approach was conducted through the analysis of 209 Police Reports (PR) of financial abuse against older adults, dated between October 2016 and March 2017. Data analysis was performed by content analysis in the thematic modality. Results: The profile of the victims was characterized as follows: male (50.72%), aged from 60 to 69 years old (56.6%) and living with a partner (48.33%). Financial abuse against older adults is mainly committed by strangers, in 85.6% of cases, and in 6.7% of cases by family members. The sociodemographic characteristics of most offenders were unknown. Three cores of meaning relating to the types of financial abuse were identified: appropriation and damage; exposure to fraud/extortion and theft/robbery. Conclusion: There is a need for actions aimed at preventing and protecting against the financial abuse of older adults, in order to avoid suffering and emotional, physical and social harm. In addition, further studies are needed to more effectively highlight the association of alterations during the aging process and financial violence.
Highlights
The increasing growth of the older population and its consequences has resulted in a number of reflections and concerns[1]
Violence against an older adult is defined as an act or omission which results in damage or distress, causing suffering, injury, pain, loss and a reduction in quality of life, compromising human rights[1]
From October 2016 to March 2017, 346 cases of abuse against older adults were registered in the police station for women of the city under study, of which 209 (60.4%) involved financial abuse either alone or in conjunction with other types of violence or abuse
Summary
The increasing growth of the older population and its consequences has resulted in a number of reflections and concerns[1]. The process leads to biopsychosocial losses and increased exposure to chronic-degenerative diseases. Older adults may have greater social, physical and emotional vulnerabilities, including different forms of dependence, which predisposes them to situations of abuse[3]. Violence against an older adult is defined as an act or omission which results in damage or distress, causing suffering, injury, pain, loss and a reduction in quality of life, compromising human rights[1]. For the World Health Organization (WHO), ill-treatment can be due to physical, psychological, sexual and financial abuse, abandonment, neglect and self-neglect, often caused by family members and caregivers at home and in long-term care facilities[4]
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