Comparison between Repeatedly Received and New Cases of Elder Abuse at Elder Protective Service Agencies: The Characteristics of the Abused, Abusers and Abuse Situations

Abstract

This study examined how repeatedly received and new cases of elder abuse at Elder Protective Service Agencies (EPSAs) would vary by elderly characteristics, perpetrator characteristics, and abuse situations. Four hundred and ten elder abuse cases of a study developed for closure index of elder abuse case were analyzed. Main findings were as follows. First, repeatedly received cases comprised 9.3% of the sample, and the length of time taking from the initial to repeated reception by EPSAs ranged from zero (the same year) to seven years. Second, repeatedly received and new cases of elder abuse varied by public assistance reception status of the elderly and the perpetrators, and mental disorder and economic dependency of the perpetrators. They were not different in terms of abuse situations. Third, multi-variate logistic regression results indicate that repeatedly received and new cases of elder abuse were statistically different in public assistance reception status of the elderly, and mental disorder of the perpetrators. In conclusion, policy and practice implications were discussed that should be considered in preventing recurrence of elder abuse.