Kristin Burki, Director of the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life, recently shared her thoughts on domestic violence and ways to support older survivors in a guest blog for the USC Center for Elder Justice. She offers that it is crucial to emphasize the connection between elder abuse and domestic violence because while domestic violence transcends age, most interventions, research, and prevention initiatives tend to concentrate on younger adults. Consequently, domestic violence experienced by older adults is overlooked and ignored.
“Addressing domestic violence in later life requires collaboration between the fields of domestic violence victim services and elder justice to effectively support older survivors with their distinct needs. Further, we must do so in ways that account for not only a survivor’s age, but also how age intersects with other backgrounds and identities, such as race and ethnicity, faith affiliation, income level, education level, and ability status.”
Head over to USC Center for Elder Justice’s website to read her blog in its entirety.