Is it Gendered?

When looking at these statistics, one is inclined to believe that all older adults are equally likely to experience some form of elder abuse, but that is unfortunately untrue. To fully understand the affected population, one must understand that women comprise 61% of the global population of 80 and over (World Population Aging, 2019). In most countries, this percentage increases with age; for example, in Canada, women make up 52% of seniors aged 65 to 74, 56% of seniors aged 75 to 84, and 68% aged 85 or older (Kembhavi, 2020). We will examine the subject of elder abuse through an intersectional feminist lens that aims to investigate the prevalence, the policy, and the discussion surrounding this complex subject. Our group chose this topic because we personally feel that elder abuse is an issue that is overshadowed within the realm of both national and international human rights discussions. When looked at through an intersectional feminist perspective, it becomes even clearer to us that older women are disproportionately more vulnerable to different kinds of elder abuse so this problem must not be addressed with gender-neutral language. Additionally, it must be said that elder abuse is mostly seen as an “invisible” problem which shouldn’t be the case. Older people, specifically those aged 65 years old and older, just in Canada alone, constitute almost 18.5% (based from collected data as of July 2021) of the total population in the country (Statistics Canada, 2022). When researched more thoroughly, elder abuse only becomes an “invisible” problem due to the stigma attached to reporting it (i.e., ageism) or the lack or incapability of the victims themselves to report the abuse (HealthLinkBC, 2022). In this episode, we explore who is affected by elder abuse and how race, gender, socioeconomic status, and ability contribute to elder abuseShow notes:Additional Resources:I Care A Lot (2020) dir. J BlakesonThe Wolf at the Door: Undue Influence and Elder Financial Abuse (book) by Michael HackardMusic:● Intro music by Lexin_Music from Pixabay● Music by YVHNII from Pixabay● Music by NaturesEye from PixabayBibliography:Dumont-Smith, C. (2002). Aboriginal elder abuse in Canada. Canadian Electronic Library, 1-15.https://canadacommons-ca.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/artifacts/1218548/aboriginal-elder-abuse-in-canada/1771628/ on 06 Oct 2022. CID: 20.500.12592/357h3r.Elder Abuse - Introduction. (n.d.). Advocacy Center for the Elderly.http://www.advocacycentreelderly.org/elder_abuse_-_introduction.phpHealthLink BC (2022, February). Abuse and Neglect of Older Adults: Understanding GenderDifferences. Retrieved fromhttps://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthlinkbc-files/abuse-and-neglect-older-adults-understanding-gender-differences.Kembhavi, R. (2012, November). Research note – Canadian seniors: A demographic profile.Elections Canada.https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=rec%2Fpart%2Fsen&document=index&lang=e.Lewis, H. (1998). Global intersections: critical race feminist human rights and inter/nationalblack women. Maine Law Review, 50(2), 309–326.Felton, J., & Owczarzak, B. (2022, October 4). Sheriff: Woman covered in feces; caregivercharged with elder abuse. Fox5 Vegas.https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/10/04/sheriff-woman-covered-feces-caregiver-chargedwith-elder-abuse/.Fast Facts: Preventing Elder Abuse |Violence Prevention|Injury Center. (2021, June 2). CDC.https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/elderabuse/fastfact.htmlReilly, N. (2019). Women, gender, and international human rights: Overview. In InternationalHuman Rights of Women (pp. 1–18). Springer Singapore.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8905-3_23.7Statistics Canada. (2022). Older adults and population aging statistics. Retrieved fromhttps://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects-start/older_adults_and_population_aging.United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2010, December 16). Generalrecommendation no. 27 on older women and protection of their human rights. OHCHR.Retrieved October 10, 2022, fromhttps://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/general-recommendation-no-27-older-women-and.United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2021, June 30). OHCHR andolder persons. OHCHR. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/older-persons.United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2022, June 14). UN expertsurge states to address violence, abuse and neglect of older women. OHCHR. Retrievedfromhttps://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/06/un-experts-urge-states-address-violence-abuse-and-neglect-older-women.UN convention on the rights of older people: It's time for action. (n.d.). HelpAge International.Retrieved from https://www.helpage.org/what-we-do/un-convention/.UNDESA. (n.d.). Twelfth Session of the United Nations Open-ended Working Group onstrengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons. The Division forInclusive Social Development (DISD) is part of the ...