Elder abuse is a global problem which will continue to grow as populations age. It can be in many forms including physical abuse, social abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse and neglect.
A team of Cochrane authors of two APACPH member institutions, QUT in Brisbane, Australia and University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia have recently published a systematic review to identify specific programs or strategies that are useful to prevent or reduce in older persons, aimed at the older person or with the people they interact with such as family members, caregivers and nursing home staff. The Cochrane review is based on seven studies including about 1,900 ageing persons and 700 other people with whom the interact. The review, assessed by Health Evidence™ as strong evidence (10/10 score) summarises the evidence and offers insight for practice and future research.
The abstract and full review is available from the Cochrane Library
Podcasts available in English, Malay, Mandarin and Arabic from the Cochrane Website
Download the Health Evidence summary – A 3-page summary for public decision makers.
Reference: Baker PRA, Francis DP, Hairi NN, Othman S, Choo WY. Interventions for preventing abuse in the elderly.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013,Issue 1. Art. No.: CD010321. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010321.
