Improving Assistance to Elderly Victims of Violence: Healthcare Personnel as a Window for Opportunity

Nowadays, the world’s population is ageing, causing the growth of a new category of patients: elderly people affected by a particular vulnerability due to the simultaneous presence of multiple chronic diseases, fragility, and disability. Because of the ageing population, elder abuse is dramatically increasing too. Despite its prevalence and serious negative consequences, and despite its recent emergence as a critical social and medical problem, abuse of older people often remains undetected and unrecognized. Violence against older people also creates critical issues for care teams. Since technical expertise in abuse management depends on knowledge, expertise and preparedness, it is of fundamental importance for healthcare personnel who treat abused subjects and conduct the initial examination and evidence collection to identify and report mistreatment and to support the elderly as a vulnerable population. On the other hand, it is imperative that the structure be organized in such a way as to put at the disposal of the individual professional the time and methods of assistance that are necessary to ensure an adequate level of care. The implementation of care and assistance, both for healthcare professionals and for healthcare facilities, plays a crucial role in the prevention of elder abuse.