Assessment and treatment of elder abuse in Spanish speaking Americans: A scoping review

Increases in the Latinx population accounted for more than half of the total growth in the US population between the year 2000 and 2010, and this population is expected to double within the next 30 years. As the United States, ages, diversifies, and modernizes, the number of older adults experiencing elder abuse is unfortunately also projected to increase. Given these rapid growth rates and projected increases, accurate understanding of appropriate Spanish Language elder abuse assessment measures and interventions is critical. As such, this review examines the available research on assessment and interventions for elder abuse in Spanish Speaking Latinx Americans. Findings suggest there is a large discrepancy between the available assessments and interventions for this population, and the preparedness of mental health providers to adequately serve this population. In order to better understand the prevalence and development of elder mistreatment for the Latinx population, it is important for providers to properly assess and intervene in a culturally informed manner. Special consideration is placed on the current approaches to detect and intervene, within a cultural framework and cultural specific risk factors. A discussion of limitations of the available research and direction of future work are also offered.