Elder abuse and neglect in institutions, recognition by social work practitioners

• Main Author: Szymanska, Maria
• Format: Others
• Language: en; en_US
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/1834

This study focuses on social work practitioners working in Personal Care Homes (P.C.H.) in Manitoba. It explores knowledge of different aspects of aging, issues of abuse and neglect, attitudes toward the elderly and how maltreatment of residents is recognized. Data has been collected by means of a mail-out survey (conducted in April and May of 1999). The findings show that social workers score highly on knowledge but exhibit an average practical recognition level for abuse and neglect. Furthermore, social workers are more confident in identification of psychological forms of neglect and abuse. In addition, results of this study show that social workers' attitudes toward the elderly tend to be neutral rather than strongly positive or negative. The social workers identified the need: To include institutional abuse in the social work curriculum; to develop continuing courses on elder mistreatment in nursing homes and for interdisciplinary education on elder abuse and neglect.