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

虐待老人是一个可以预防的问题。目前，在中东地区对这种现象知之甚少。本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 名家庭和机构老年人、他们的家庭成员和照顾者以及 49 名利益相关者（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，黎巴嫩参与者被视为虐待的行为与国际研究的报告相当。最常提到的风险因素是看似功能失调的家庭中的虐待史，其次是看护人不接受伴随衰老而发生的身体变化。应对虐待老人需要采取多维方法，包括保护政策，以提高护理人员对衰老生理变化的认识，以及齐心协力纠正有关虐待老人隐藏问题的错误信息。