Safeguarding Older People from Abuse: Critical Contexts to Policy and Practice

The abuse of older people in health and social care facilities is increasingly recognized as a serious problem, but most scandals about or inquiries into the abuse of elders fail to address—much less challenge—the social, economic, and cultural contexts in which such abuse is allowed to take place. Safeguarding Older People from Abuse provides this much-needed challenge, illustrating the ways in which ageism, lack of resources, target-driven policy, and organizational cultures of blame and scapegoating facilitate elder abuse. Angie Ash argues for the development of ethically driven, research-informed policies and practices that will better protect our seniors.