The Platform
The Platform
Intervention accelerator to prevent abuse of older people
Working to develop a portfolio of effective interventions to prevent abuse of older people.
Learn more about the topicThe intervention accelerator to prevent abuse of older people (AOP-IA) is a UN Decade of Healthy Ageing initiative, led by the World Health Organization, that aims to develop a portfolio of interventions, supported by high-quality evidence, that can be scaled up to prevent and respond to the abuse of older people. The AOP-IA takes the form of an international research-practice network that works to speed up development and evaluation of effective interventions through four steps:
Abuse of older people, also known as elder abuse, is a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person. Abuse of older people is a hidden but serious public health problem: an estimated 1 in 6 older people experience some form of abuse each year, leading to serious physical and mental health, financial, and social consequences.
Despite the severity of the issue, no interventions have been proven to prevent or reduce abuse of older people in high-quality experimental studies. Global experts have identified the development of effective interventions as one of five priorities during the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing to address abuse of older people - a unique opportunity to advance on this issue.
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This database is the first product of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing's intervention accelerator initiative on abuse of older people, which aims to develop a portfolio of effective approaches to prevent and respond to the abuse of older people. The database contains 89 promising interventions identified through a rigorous search and screening of nearly 14 000 scientific studies. The aims of these interventions include: (1) improving knowledge of abuse of older people among professionals to increase the likelihood of detection and reporting; (2) raising awareness of the issue; (3) reducing mental health symptoms among victims of abuse; and (4) preventing abuse. Older people who have experienced or are at risk of abuse were the main targets of these interventions, although a significant proportion were also aimed at caregivers, perpetrators of abuse and institutions. Over half of the identified interventions were implemented in the United States of America, which emphasizes the need to conduct more research in low- and middle-income countries. The new database is a rich repository of evidence-based interventions to address abuse of older people that can inform future research and practice in the field by governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, academics, practitioners, and funders. The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing intervention accelerator on abuse of older people will build on this database by further evaluating these interventions for refinement, adaptation and real-world testing.
MoreCurrently, there are no evidence-based interventions to prevent and respond to abuse of older people, also known as elder abuse. This article outlines a proposal to create, within the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030, an intervention accelerator to speed up the development of effective interventions for abuse of older people in community and institutional settings within low-, middle- and high-income countries. This new entity would consist of an international research–practice network, led by the WHO, which would work to speed up the development and evaluation of effective interventions for abuse of older people. Without effective — and cost-effective — interventions, it is unlikely that addressing abuse of older people will be prioritized by governments, international and civil society organizations, or by donors.
MoreGlobally, 1 in 6 people aged 60 years and older experience elder abuse in the community annually, with potentially severe physical and mental health, financial, and social consequences. Yet, elder abuse remains a low global priority. We aimed to identify the factors accounting for the low global political priority of elder abuse. We systematically searched relevant peer-reviewed literature and organisational reports in multiple databases and interviewed 26 key informants in the field of elder abuse. In this paper, we used policy frameworks developed by previous research into the determinants of the priority of global health issues, and a qualitative methodology to thematically analyse the literature and interviews through triangulation of the data. The main factors identified were related to the nature of the issue (the inherent complexity of elder abuse, pervasive ageism, insufficient awareness and doubts about prevalence estimates, and the intractability of the issue), the policy environment (the restricted ability in the field of elder abuse to capitalise on policy windows and processes), and the capabilities of the proponents of prevention of elder abuse (disagreements over the nature of the problem and solutions, challenges in individual and organisational leadership, and an absence of alliances with other issues). Around 25 years ago, elder abuse started to register on the global agenda. Since then, the global priority for prevention of elder abuse has barely increased. This study identifies several inter-related factors that account for the issue's low priority and opportunities for overcoming these challenges. Chief among these opportunities is the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030, a unique 10-year-long policy window to increase the political priority of the prevention of elder abuse.
MoreGlobally 1 in 6 people aged 60 years and older experience abuse in the community every year. Rates in institutions are even higher. Yet, abuse of older people, also known as elder abuse, remains a low global priority. The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030 offers a unique 10-year opportunity for a step change in how abuse of older people is tackled. This document outlines five priorities to prevent and respond to abuse of older people: (1) combat ageism; (2) generate more and better data on prevalence and on risk and protective factors; (3) develop and scale up cost–effective solutions; (4) make an investment case for addressing the issue; and (5) raise funds to tackle the issue. If governments, United Nations agencies and development organizations, civil society organizations, academic and research institutions and funders implement these priorities, we can reduce the number of older people worldwide who experience abuse and contribute to improving their health, well-being and dignity.
MoreDr. David Burnes, Professor at the University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social...
MoreClaire Choo is a professor in social epidemiology and biostatistics in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Universiti Malaya. Her research primarily focuses on violence related issues including the abuse of older people, child maltreatment and interpersonal violence.
MoreA researcher in social gerontology for more than a decade, her research is aimed at...
MoreDr Fatemeh Estebsari holds a PhD in Health Education and Promotion from Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran. Her interests include healthy ageing, age-friendly cities, lifestyles of older people, the prevention of abuse for older people, and the design, evaluation, and measurement of interventions to prevent of abuse of older people.
MoreJeffrey H. Herbst, Ph.D. has a doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland...
MoreAresya contributes to the Intervention Accelerator: Abuse for Older People project...
MoreChristelle Sibdou Liliane Kafando holds a master's degree in sociology from Joseph Ki-Zerbo...
MoreChristopher Mikton’s areas of responsibility within WHO's Demographic Change and...
MoreHolder of a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Bordeaux in France....
MoreLaura holds a PhD in Criminology from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Mental Health...
MoreElsie Yan is a professor at the Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong...
MoreDr. Yongjie Yon leads the Ageing and Health program for WHO Europe as a Technical Officer in...
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