Studying the Instances of Elder Abuse and Their Relationship With Age and Sex in the Hospitalized Elderly

Backgroung: The elderly are among the vulnerable groups in society، and elder abuse by caregivers is one of the forms of violence known as a public health problem throughout the world. The present study aimed to investigate different forms of elder abuse during hospital stay. Using non-random convenience sampling، this cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 elderly people over the age of 65 admitted to Meybod Hospital in 2012. A structured interview and a researcher-made questionnaire entitled “Studying the Abuse of the Hospitalized Elderly” were used to collect information. Most study samples were women (52%) and the 65 to 70 age group (65%). The prevalence of physical، psychological and financial abuses، as well as neglect and self-neglect were 11. 8%، 9. 68%، 5. 08%، 21. 17% and 21. 14%، respectively. There was a significant difference between men and women in terms of physical (P = 0. 02)، psychological and self-neglect (P = 0. 01) abuses. There was also a significant difference between the age groups in terms of physical (P = 0. 005) and neglect (P = 0. 02) abuses. Despite the great emphasis our culture puts on respecting patients and the elderly، the hospitalized elderly experience different types of abuse. Therefore، an accurate understanding of elder abuse in hospitals could increase the awareness and sensitivity of people، managers، personnel and organizations associated with this phenomenon so that they can take effective measures for prevention and design of a system identifying the elderly at risk.