Meeting the special needs of older battered women - excerpts from an AARP report, 'Abused elders or older battered women?' - Special Populations: Older Battered Women

(The following article is made up of extracts from a report, Abused seniors or Older Battered Women?, upon an AARP Forum held October 29-30 1992 The replete report, published in 1993, can be ordered fRom the Women's Initiative, Special Activities Department, American Association of Retired someones 601 E Street, N. W Washington, DC 20049)

Even notwithstanding that there is evidence that spouse/partner abuse may constitute a large portion of all senior abuse, older women abused through their husbands/partners may be falling between the cracks in the pair the elder abuse and domestic violence communities. Responding to this pertain to the Women's Initiative of AARP conven a forum in October 1992 to bring together representatives of the pair communities to exchange information, begin a dialogue, and identify a certain number of initial recommendations about how to better fit the needs of older battered women Approximately 25 researchers, advocates, service providers, and medical and legal professionals from the fields of senior abuse and domestic violence participated.

Prior to the forum, AARP ran a small article in the AARP Bulletin asking battered women to write about their experiences with abuse and with seeking help. The replys were alarming. More than 500 alphabetic characters arrived within a month from women who wanted to enumerate their stories in the reliance their experiences could help others. a certain number of women were in their 80 and had undergoed verbal, physical, and mental abuse for 35 40 flat 50 years.

Some recurring themes emerg from their letters:

* Many of the writers described years of silent suffering; many said this was the first time they had at any time told anyone of the abuse.

* Many writers were isolated from family and friends as a originate of the abuse itself or of trying to hold fast the abuse secret.

* There were stories of farthest physical violence -- being pushed, hit, and smooth shoved down flights of stairs, suffering fractures, dislocated joints, and reaching far down muscle bruises that took weeks to heal.

* Almost all wrote about emotional abuse, describing name calling, degrading accusations, and constant verbal battering.

* Alcohol abuse was a true frequent companion to violent behavior.

* Many described seeking help from professionals, the cloth and the police, only to be told they must have done something unjust to provoke their husbands. a certain quantity of had received the help they emergencyed from local services; however, many more had not.

For older women of color, getting help may be mixed by racism, ageism, poverty and disability. This is seen in the African American community, where the possibility of police brutality issues in women going directly to shelters without at any time calling the police. Participants pointed without the additional barriers faced through Hispanic women of all ages, and particularly immigrant and refugee women who must subdue the isolation that results from cultural and language barriers. If a woman have feelings culturally alienated in a battered women's shelter and legal combination of parts to form a whole geared toward Anglos, she will have greater difficulty in leaving a violent relationship.

Proposals for Change

The dearth of knowledge about the over-50 age assemblages makes improved research first among paces to link the elder abuse and battered women's communities. a certain number of of the specific questions to be addressed include the following:

* What are the specific risk factors for battering in later years? What characters are played by physical appurtenance substance abuse, and other observ phenomena? in what manner often is abuse triggered through age-related events such as retirement or illness?

* What are the barriers in service a whole s that prevent older women from seeking and receiving help?

* What parts do ethnicity, race, and tillage play in the way tribe perceive the problem, seek services, and make decisions?

Improving the legal answer to a complaint of abuse is another important constituent in stopping abuse and preventing further incidents. This includes:

* Strengthening abuse laws to overlay all abusing partners;

* Educating justices police, and other legal personnel about the problem;

* Increasing access to affordable legal services from one side specially trained non-lawyers and by dint of developing more user-friendly information about the court system;

* Creating a national registry of abusers.

To enhance protective services, forum participants commended that communities:

* Ensure that appropriate, accessible, and safe shelters are available that take into account the necessitys of older women, with special attention to rural communities. Programs should be designed and operated to be multicultural and multilingual.

* Provide cross-training, coordination, and coalition-building between the senior abuse and domestic violence communities.

* Sensitize all medical and legal professionals, counselors, and religious leaders about sexism, racism, and ageism.

* Build coalitions to reply to diversity and empower battered women

* Reach on the outside to older women by disseminating information about domestic violence from one side senior centers and home services, health clinics and physicians, civic associations, and public benefits offices. direction outreach to women whose partners are substance abusers or are mentally ill.