ABSTRACT

Elder abuse is a preventable problem. Presently, little is known about this phenomenon in Middle Eastern settings. The purpose of this study was to explore elder abuse in Beirut, Lebanon from different stakeholders’ points of view with a focus on identifying behaviors that are considered to be abusive to older adults and predisposing factors. Focus group discussions were carried out with 88 home- and institution-based older adults, their family members and caregivers, and with 49 stakeholders (medical professionals, institution directors, government officials). Results showed that behaviors considered abusive among Lebanese participants were comparable to reports from international studies. The most commonly mentioned risk factors were history of abuse in a seemingly dysfunctional family followed by caregivers’ lack of acceptance of the physical changes that accompany aging. The response to elder abuse requires a multidimensional approach that spans protective policies to increase care providers’ awareness about the physiologic changes of aging as well as concerted efforts to correct misinformation about the hidden problem of elder abuse.

摘要

虐待老人是可以预防的问题。目前，对于中东地区的这种现象知之甚少。这项研究的目的是从不同利益相关者的角度探讨黎巴嫩贝鲁特的老年人虐待行为，重点是确定被认为虐待老年人的行为和诱发因素。与88位以家庭和机构为基础的老年人，他们的家庭成员和照顾者以及49位利益相关者（医疗专业人员，机构负责人，政府官员）进行了焦点小组讨论。结果表明，在黎巴嫩参与者中被视为虐待行为与国际研究报告相当。最常提到的危险因素是一个看似功能失调的家庭遭受虐待的历史，其次是看护人对衰老所伴随的身体变化缺乏接受。应对老年人虐待需要采取多方面的方法，其中应采取保护性政策，以提高护理人员对衰老生理变化的认识，并共同努力纠正有关老年人虐待隐患的错误信息。