Repercussions of abuse by caregivers in the elderly population with dementia: a scoping review

Due to the ageing population throughout the world, the rates of older adults suffering from dementia are increasing, requiring a closer look at this population. As a result, the aim of this scoping review is to gather data from the scientific literature on the repercussions of abuse of elderly people with dementia by their caregivers. For this review, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews was used as a guideline to structure the review topics. Six researchers during the period of December 2023 to March 2024 searched for relevant articles in the following databases: MEDLINE; SCOPUS; WEB OF SCIENCE; EMBASE; BIREME. Of 707 articles found in the databases, 16 were included in this scoping review. The articles addressed different aspects of the topic of abuse of elderly people with dementia by caregivers, 12 articles listed risk factors, six explained the different types of abuse, 11 articles dealt with neuropsychological aspects of caregivers, seven studies focused on the relationship between the elderly person and their caregiver and six portrayed the impacts of abuse. Studies point to several common risk factors, for example, advanced stage of the disease, financial cost of treatment and psychobehavioural symptoms of both the caregiver and the patient. Upon thorough examination and critical reflection on existing studies, a substantial void has been identified in the literature concerning the ramifications of abusive relationships within the care receiver and caregiver dyad. While many studies approach the issue in a broad manner, only a limited number of articles delve into the specific impact of such dynamics on the deterioration of the elderly's well-being. There is an urgent demand for new research to investigate the consequences that abuse generates in the lives of elderly individuals with dementia.