Patterns of abuse of the elderly in their own homes as reported by district nurses

This study aimed at describing patterns of abuse of elderly persons living in their homes as experienced by district nurses in a county of Sweden. 12% of the district nurses (n = 153) reported 30 cases. Those abused were 78.7 years old (mean) and half of them had disturbed memory and mental state and were mostly isolated. The abuser was a relative of the abused person and 64.2 years old (mean). Psychological abuse was the most frequently reported kind of abuse. Along with the abuse the abusers' behaviour was commonly experienced as unpleasant and aggressive and/or combined with family conflicts. The results indicated that abuse is very much a family affair. To guide district nurses in a family-oriented approach is justified by the results. It also seems important further to investigate the pattern of how the different types of abuse occur.