National Network for Equitable Library Service

"The mistreatment of diverse older people in diverse ways is categorized in many societies as "elder abuse and neglect," yet this concept has not been subjected to rigorous critical inquiry. Instead, it has most often represented the interests of professionals, academics, and governments, while policymakers and researchers frequently overlook or disregard the complexity of issues that fall under this designation. The first comprehensive, scholarly critique of the subject, Contesting Elder Abuse and Neglect questions existing assumptions about the mistreatment of older people. It explores how and why the concept of "elder abuse and neglect" came to be and shows how this catch-all term masks fundamental problems concerning the mistreatment of older people, their place in society, and how they see themselves. Joan R. Harbison and her colleagues expose how the abilities, needs, and wishes of older people who are perceived as victims are ignored or go unheard and how the supposed solutions to abusive treatment can take their toll on those people they were originally intended to protect. Grounded in twenty years of interdisciplinary empirical research, Contesting Elder Abuse and Neglect is an important, much-needed contribution to the literature, which supports and encourages new thinking about issues concerning older people."--