grantor:
University of TorontoElder abuse in Canada is a problem of considerable proportion and significance. Only in the past decade has this problem begun to receive increasing attention. Still, too little is known about the extent of the problem, about factors contributing to abuse of the elderly and factors that help sustain them, and about ways to forestall, intervene, or help the elderly to cope with an abusive situation. A recent National Survey (1990) determined that from a sample population of 2,008 elderly persons living in private homes, about 4% had experienced some form of serious abuse in the previous year. Projected to the total population of Canada, this would mean approximately 100,000 elderly persons abused in private homes, and with the proportion of the elderly increasing in our national population, we face the prospect of even larger numbers of abused elderly persons. This thesis uses the quantitative data developed in the National Survey, and through personal telephone interviews with 42 abused elderly persons identified from that survey, provides more in-depth information and understanding of the life experience and current living circumstances of these individuals. There is strong evidence of adaptive strengths of older victims in dealing with their maltreatment circumstances, evidence which represents important new findings in this field. It is, therefore, argued that the concept of hardiness is both applicable and useful. There are two parts to this study. The first part provided quantitative data on the prevalence rate of elder abuse in Canada; the second part, is qualitative. Here the data explores a theme of continuity that connects social change and life experience: a theme of loss and adaptation--particularly in the 1930s--in the life course development of a cohort of older Canadians who were born in the early part of the century and who were victims of some form of maltreatment in their older years. Life experiences emerge from the personal narratives of abuse survivors, and such experiences have rarely been the subject of sociological investigation. From the accounts of the elderly who have encountered abuse, themes may emerge that provide a fresh perspective on the social background and interactions from the informants. The concept of elder hardiness is a major focus of this thesis.Ed.D
