Elder abuse: Global response and Indian initiatives

Described as 'granny bashing' in the United Kingdom, and as 'parent batteri ng' in the United States, elder abuse is yet to be clearly conceptualised i n India. Prevalence rate of maltreatment of elders range from four to ten p er cent of older people surveyed in the West. In India, neglect of the olde r people is assumed to be much more prevalent than active abuse. Global res ponse to elder abuse has been in terms of legislative measures, creating pu blic awareness as well as intervention with victims and abusers. In India, recently, some initiatives have been taken to identify this problem, assess the prevalence and attend to the issues of intervention and prevention.