Volume 4 Number 2, December 2009
Tokyo: Seibundo Publishing Co., Ltd.
ISBN 978-4-7923-9201-7 C3032 Price 1,000yen
- Use of Payday Loans and Check Cashing Services by Elder Hispanics
- HELEN B. MILTIADES
Assistant Professor of Gerontology, Director of the Gerontology Program, California State University, Fresno, USA- Abstract
- Payday lenders have been accused of predatory lending and creating cycles of debt for low income persons. This study explores themes common to the predatory lending process for elder Hispanic payday users. A qualitative survey of twenty Hispanics aged fifty-five or older was conducted in Fresno, California. Fourteen men and six women, with an average age of 62, were interviewed. The average level of educational attainment was a high school education. The majority worked blue collar jobs. Only one person earned over $40,000 a year. Results showed that low income elders utilize paydays because they get “money fast” with “no hassle” and the “people are nice.” Most borrowed in emergency situations. There was considerable variation in their understanding of the fees. The elders were credit constrained and believed they would be using payday loans regularly. Most expressed they were already in debt and accepted they would never be out of debt.
- Elder Coping and Sociability
- TOD TOLLEFSON
University of Tilburg, The Netherlands
- Abstract
- Sociability is a significant human resource that helps elders meet the unpredictable challenges of aging. Data from 355 elders at senior centers in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, were collected to measure sociability on the dimensions of social facility (social skills) and relational affinity (closeness to others). Social facility enhances elder perception of resourcefulness and perceived ability to meet one’s needs. Relational affinity correlates strongly with perceived social support and with a positive view among elders of the aging process. Both social facility and relational affinity load strongly on the adaptive component of 18 coping behaviors derived through factor analysis. Enhancing elders’ sociability augurs to improve their ability to manage the challenges of aging successfully.
- Elder Abuse and Neglect: A Rural-Urban Comparison
- AGBER DIMAH
Chicago State University, USA
KEREN PATRICIA DIMAH
Interim Co-Director, Office for the Protection of Human Subjects, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA- Abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in six forms of substantiated domestic mistreatment among rural and urban older adults. Design and Methods: This study is based on secondary data from the Illinois Elder Abuse and Neglect Program, collected from 1989-2001. Data comprised 10,776 rural and 10,004 urban elder abuse victims aged 60 years and older and living in 74 rural and 13 urban counties in Illinois. Results: Rural and urban victims did not differ in demographic characteristics, but were statistically different in their experience of emotional abuse (2 = 42.356; p = .0005), passive neglect (2 = 8.435; p = .004), and deprivation (2 = 5.308; p = .021). No differences were observed in physical abuse (2 = 3.161; p = .075), confinement (2 = .176; p = .675), and financial exploitation financial exploitation (2 = 2.951; p = .086). Implications: Elder abuse is a form of family violence that affects all segments of society. Therefore, resources to combat it should be distributed equitably in both rural and urban areas.
- Types of Criminal Victimization of Elders in Chennai City (India)
- KUMARAVELU CHOCKALINGAM
Tokiwa International Victimology Institute, Tokiwa University, Mito, Japan
MURUGESAN SRINIVASAN
Department of Criminology, University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai, India- Abstract
- The type and extent of criminal victimization of elders was measured by asking 404 male and female participants in Chennai City (India) to report the frequency of a range of criminal acts. The results demonstrate elders are victims of various types of victimizations, such as physical violence, property offences, criminal actions relating to documents and property marks, and criminal intimidation. Further, more than one third of elders reported they had been verbally victimized or victimized by the use of gestures or acts with the criminal intention to insult. The implications of the findings for future research are discussed.
- Comparison of International Elder Abuse Prevalence Studies
- JEANETTE M. DALY, MRINALINI JOSHI, GERALD J. JOGERST
DDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Iowa, USA
- Abstract
- While estimates of elder abuse prevalence in domestic settings have been calculated, most studies are based on local data and cannot be reliably extrapolated to populations of the entire U.S. or other countries. This review of the elder abuse research literature analyzes the assessment and measurement methods used to collect domestic elder abuse prevalence data. An extensive literature review was conducted including a review of 997 research abstracts of which eight were identified as epidemiological community-based elder abuse prevalence studies. For these studies, the type and definition of abuse, instruments, period prevalence, sample size, sampling method, age of subject, and setting are described. Comparing elder abuse prevalence data across studies is difficult and parameters should be disclosed. After delineating the studies for comparison, the results of what it is possible to compare across studies is that only one type of abuse, neglect, was measured using the same instrument and time period to calculate period prevalence.
- Training Police Officers About Elder Abuse: Training Needs and Strategies
- BRIAN K. PAYNE
Department of Criminal Justice, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA
PATRICIA S. KING
Georgia DHR―Division of Aging Services, Atlanta, USA
BANDREW MANAOIS
Department of Criminal Justice, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA- Abstract
- Many elder abuse studies conclude with the recommendation that various human services professionals require further training in the area of elder abuse and some note that recommendations for more training are fundamental. Few researchers, however, have considered the specific items that should be included in training curricula. To fill this void in the literature, this study assesses the elder abuse training needs of police officers (N = 77), and focuses on the demographic factors that may influence training needs as well as individual preferences for specific types of training. Results suggest police officers advocate for increased training across a range of aspects related to the policing of elder abuse, and that they prefer traditional forms of training. Policy implications are discussed.
- Domestic Physical Elder Abuse in the USA: A Professional Overview
- CYNTHIA BENZLER
California State University, Fresno, USA
- Abstract
- This research review examines existing available data to determine what factors contribute to the underreporting of domestic physical elder abuse in the U.S. These factors include state legislation, inaction by the federal government, a lack of training of primary care physicians, lack of public education, and the inability of elderly victims to speak out about the abuse. The policy implications of enhanced reporting methods and research on the extent of elder abuse are discussed.
- The Elderly: The Victimization Processes and their Victim Assistance
- HILDA MARCHIORI
University of Cordova, Argentina- Abstruct
- Crime in old age implies understanding the delicate gerontological and geriatric processes, or the knowledge of the impact crime has on ageing, feelings of loneliness and disability, and the anguish and fear of death that the elderly experience. From a criminological and victimological perspective, crime breaks and undermines the life of the person who suffers violence. The life of the victim undergoes an existential change related to their customs, habits, and their perspective of the people who affect their relationships, confidence, and familial, social, and cultural security. The offence is a highly stressful event that deeply disturbs the person who suffers the violent behavior, whatever its type and criminal circumstances. These situations are aggravated in cases of vulnerability by how well the victim knows the perpetrator (a relative) and in circumstances such as the impunity of offenders. The humiliation produced by the offence is such that the fear and distress of the surviving victim may shatter, in many cases, his/her confidence and communication with the environment, and social and cultural interaction.
