Elizabeth Podnieks

• Professor Emeritus
• Toronto Metropolitan University

According to Statistics Canada, eight million adults will be over the age of 65 by 2031, nearly 25 percent of the population. Increasingly, older adults report being victims of abuse, even though Canada has actively addressed the problem since the early 1980s (Podnieks, 1989). This presentation describes the most recent study to quantify the extent...

Increased life expectancy has resulted in a growing number of persons over age 65, and this number continues to escalate. The increasing population of older people has led to the prediction that aging is accompanied by greater physical and mental problems that result in dependency—and also lead to situations in which elders may be mistreated. The c...

RÉSUMÉ Une revue systématique de la littérature a été effectuée afin d’identifier des moyens efficaces pour prévenir et combattre l’abus et la négligence envers les adultes âgés dans les établissements de soins de santé au Canada. L’examen a été fait en utilisant les bases de données qui ont été recherchés à partir de janvier 2000 à avril / mai 201...

This article provides an overview of the development of a research agenda on resident-to-resident aggression (RRA) in long-term care facilities by an expert panel of researchers and practitioners. A one-day consensus building workshop using a modified Delphi approach was held to gain consensus on nomenclature and an operational definition for RRA,...

Although Canadian policies support "aging in place," there still will be a number of older adults who will require institutional care in the future. Most research on elder abuse, however, has focused on domestic abuse and has paid less attention to institutional abuse. The purpose of this article is to comprehensively review current research to ide...

This eclectic overview of global reports on elder mistreatment reflects both the diversity of the work of the authors and the situations in the countries described. Some nations frame elder mistreatment as a human rights issue; others trace the development of emerging programs and practices as they articulate strategies designed to identify, preven...

In response to a growing and worldwide recognition of elder abuse, the WorldView Environmental Scan on Elder Abuse was undertaken. It represented an attempt to collect both information on the nature of the problem of elder abuse and responses to it from a global perspective. The first of its kind, the Scan gathered information about elder abuse as...

The purpose of the symposium was to provide an international overview of the issues concerning action on elder abuse and neglect. Living longer is both an achievement and a considerable risk. It affects unprecedented opportunities, but it also presents personal and social challenges related to quality of life in old age. Essential questions were ra...

Knowledge transfer to all audiences

Abuse and neglect of older adults occurs in all Canadian communities and solutions require the coordinated efforts of society at large. Amelioration entails more than a legislative approach. Prevention of this growing problem is a social responsibility that requires networking and collaboration between different disciplines in all sectors of the co...

Hirst, S., Spencer, C., Beaulieu, M., Charpentier, M., Harbison, J., McDonald, L., Podnieks, E., & Howse, D. (2008). Institutional Abuse and Neglect: A Canadian Resource. Booklet prepared for the project: A way forward: Promising Approaches to Abuse Prevention in Institutional Settings. 35 p

McDonald, L., Beaulieu, M., Charpentier, M., Harbison, J., Hirst, S., Podnieks, E., & Howse, D. (2008). A Way Forward: Promising Approaches to Abuse Prevention in Institutional Settings. Regional Forums: Exploring the Issues. Report presented to the Public Health Agency of Canada. 28 p.

McDonald, L., Beaulieu, M., Charpentier, M., Harbison, J., Hirst, S., Podnieks, E., & Howse, D. (2008). A Way Forward: Promising Approaches to Abuse Prevention in Institutional Settings. Final Report. Report presented to the Public Health Agency of Canada. 45 p.

Beaulieu, M., Charpentier, M., Harbison, J., Hirst, S., McDonald, L., Podnieks, E., Spencer, C., & Leblanc, M. (2008). La maltraitance en institution : Une ressource canadienne. Brochure préparée pour le projet : « Allons de l’avant : Promouvoir les approches prometteuses pour contrer la maltraitance (violence et négligence) envers les aînées en mi...

Spencer, C., Charpentier, M., McDonald, L., Beaulieu, M., Harbison, J., Hirst, S., & Podnieks, E. (2008). National Snapshot. Preventing Abuse and Neglect of Older Adults in Institutions. Report presented to the Public Health Agency of Canada. 86 p.

McDonald, L., Beaulieu, M., Harbison, J., Hirst, S., Lowenstein, A., Podnieks, E., & Wahl, J. (2008). Institutional Abuse of Older Adults: What We Know, What We Need to Know. Rapport de recherche remis à Ressources Humaines et développement social du Canada (HRSDC.RHDSC.DOC– Elder Abuse RFP – Institutionnal Abuse Paper_ SP-9137-07-0013/00 E). 209 p...

Refereed presentation (october 26-28)

Social and economic exclusion and inclusion are receiving growing attention and study in North America for their usefulness as a conceptual framework that addresses the many dimensions of poverty and inequality in our society. A discussion of social and economic exclusion/ inclusion flows naturally out of the population health field in which the so...

This special section of Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention presents three studies on elder abuse by members of the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA): one from the United States, one conducted in Japan, and the third conducted in Sweden. They are intended to exemplify research conducted internationally on elder abu...

Churches can play a critical role in the prevention of elder abuse and neglect by fostering heightened public awareness of elder mistreatment, as well as providing services to families and others at risk for perpetrating abuse. This paper describes a pilot government-funded project to raise awareness of elder abuse in faith communities. The project...

This study, conducted by Ryerson University, The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, Older Women's Network, and the Centre for Applied Research (Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto) examines faith leaders' perceptions of elder abuse, the actions taken by them in response to suspected or disclosed situations of elder abuse,...

Faith communities can play a critical role in the prevention of elder abuse and neglect by fostering heightened public awareness of elder mistreatment, as well as providing services to abused elders in the community. Faith leaders are among the most likely groups of care-givers to encounter cases of elder abuse, but unfortunately not all are aware...

Get up-to-date information and research on elder abuse—from international authorities!

Churches can play a critical role in the prevention of elder abuse and neglect by fostering heightened public awareness of elder mistreatment, as well as providing services to families and others at risk for perpetrating abuse. Research indicates that faith leaders are one of the most likely groups of caregivers to encounter cases of elder abuse, b...

Although elder abuse and neglect are not new problems, the dental profession is just now beginning to turn its attention to their research, detection, and prevention. Dentists are in an ideal position to diagnose and treat older patients who present with injuries to the head and neck area. This article provides information on the risk factors and i...

The study sought to identify, for the first time in Canada at a national level, the prevalence and circumstances of abuse of the elderly in Canada. Four major categories of abuse were defined and studied: material abuse, chronic verbal aggression, physical violence, and neglect. Data were collected through a modified random-sample telephone survey...

A follow-up study took place within the context of a larger national random survey on elder abuse in Canada. Forty-two of the original eighty victims were interviewed and asked to describe their life experiences. Emerging themes are described. There is strong evidence of adaptive strengths of older victims in dealing with their maltreatment circums...

Refereed presentation