Elderly abuse. How would you describe the social phenomenon of elder abuse? (Essay Sample)

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Elderly Abuse
Abuse of elders by relatives has been a common phenomenon from ancient times, kept private away from public view. Just like other types of family violence, elderly abuse has grown to be a criminal justice and public health concern. In the US, the elders' mistreatment is a political and social issue. Abuse of older people is neglect, which is either unintentional or intentional. This abuse may be psychological, physical, financial, and other forms of maltreatment. All forms of elderly abuse leads to pain or injury, unnecessary suffering, decreased life quality, human rights violation of the elderly person. If the behavior is termed neglectful, exploitive, or abusive, it depends on the mistreatment frequency, consequences and severity, its duration, and the cultural context of the action. For example, what the Navajo people of the US view as a cultural duty for the elders to share their possession with other family members, is mistaken by the researchers as elderly abuse. Therefore, the elderly abuse phenomenon depends on a variety of factors, especially its cultural context with social causes.
Elderly abuse is categorized as physical abuse, psychological abuse, material or financial abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Generally, elder abuse is defined as ''Elder abuse is a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person" (Altintop and Tatli).