United Nations estimates indicate that by\u00a02025 the number of older people will double\u00a0from the current 600 million to 1.2 billion.\u00a0Of the one million people who reach their\u00a0sixtieth birthday each month, 80% are in the\u00a0developing world. Although the proportion\u00a0of older people out of the total population\u00a0is higher in developed countries, the percentage\u00a0increase of the elderly population is\u00a0much greater in the developing world (UN\u00a0Population Division, 2004). Furthermore,\u00a0rapid ageing in developing countries is taking place in the context of fast social change,\u00a0such as urbanization, increased participation\u00a0of women in the workplace, industrialization\u00a0and prevailing poverty.<\/p>\n
Although elder\u00a0abuse is not a new phenomenon, the speed of\u00a0population ageing worldwide, in the context\u00a0of such profound societal changes, inevitably\u00a0will lead to an increase in its incidence and\u00a0prevalence. Until very recently, elder abuse, the mistreatment\u00a0of older people, was a social problem\u00a0hidden from public view and mostly regarded\u00a0as a private matter. However, elder\u00a0abuse is a manifestation of the timeless\u00a0phenomenon of interpersonal violence.\u00a0Child and partner (mainly female) abuse\u00a0were the first to emerge and were both seen\u00a0as mostly family (domestic) violence issues.\u00a0Public awareness towards child abuse and\u00a0violence against women gained prominence\u00a0only once studies in the last quarter of the\u00a0twentieth century provided evidence of their\u00a0magnitude. As a consequence, interpersonal\u00a0violence was then framed only within agespecific\u00a0compartments. Apart from other\u00a0parameters that try to explain victimization\u00a0in different population groups, ageing may\u00a0trigger an additional risk of abuse due to the\u00a0increased dependence on others, social isolation\u00a0and frailty that accompany it. Moreover, older men and women come from generations\u00a0that avoided discussing private issues. As a result, elder abuse continues to be a\u00a0taboo, mostly underestimated and ignored\u00a0by societies across the world. Evidence is accumulating, however, to\u00a0indicate that elder abuse, which includes\u00a0the pervasive issue of neglect, is an important\u00a0public health and societal problem\u00a0that manifests itself in both developing and\u00a0developed countries. As such, it demands a\u00a0global orchestrated response. From a health\u00a0and social perspective, unless the primary\u00a0health care (PHC) and social services sectors\u00a0are well equipped to identify and deal with\u00a0the problem, elder abuse will continue to be\u00a0underdiagnosed and overlooked.<\/p>\n
WHO\/ALC and CIG-UNIGE, with partners\u00a0from all continents, conducted this study in\u00a0order to develop a strategy to prevent elder\u00a0abuse within the PHC context. The study\u00a0consisted of a qualitative research project in\u00a0eight participating countries focused on testing\u00a0questions originally devised by researchers\u00a0in Montreal. These questions were aimed\u00a0at raising awareness among PHC professionals\u00a0of the issue of elder abuse.<\/p>\n