Elder abuse in the COVID-19 era based on calls to the National Center on Elder Abuse resource line.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated circumstances that place older adults at higher risk for abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Identifying characteristics of elder abuse during COVID-19 is critically important. This study characterized and compared elder abuse patterns across two time periods, a one-year period during the pandemic, and a corresponding one-year period prior to the start of the pandemic.

Methods

Contacts (including social media contacts, and email; all referred to as "calls" for expediency) made to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) resource line were examined for differences in types of reported elder abuse and characteristics of alleged perpetrators prior to the pandemic (Time 1; March 16, 2018 to March 15, 2019) and during the pandemic (

SUBMITTER: Weissberger GH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9392067 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature