INTERSECTION OF GENDER, PHYSICAL DISABILITY, AND EXPERIENCES OF ELDER MISTREATMENT IN DEMENTIA
2024

Gender, Disability, and Elder Mistreatment in Dementia

Sample size: 453 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Pickering Carolyn, Browning Wesley, Winstead Vicki, Hernandez Jessica, Yildiz Mustafa

Primary Institution: The University of Texas Health Houston

Hypothesis

This study investigates the intersection of gender, physical disability, and elder mistreatment among older adults with dementia.

Conclusion

Older women with physical disabilities face heightened risks of mistreatment, while women generally may benefit from larger social networks that protect against neglect.

Supporting Evidence

  • Women care recipients required significantly more assistance with ADLs.
  • Women were more often wheelchair or bedbound compared to men.
  • Women lived in larger and more multigenerational households than men.
  • Women experienced significantly less neglect than men in gender-only models.
  • Wheelchair or bedbound women experienced significantly more neglect and physical aggression than men.

Takeaway

This study looks at how being a woman and having a disability can affect how older people are treated, especially those with dementia.

Methodology

Family caregivers provided self-reports on care recipients' characteristics and aggressive behaviors at three time points, analyzed using mixed models for repeated measures.

Participant Demographics

Care recipients were more often women (58%) and required more assistance with activities of daily living.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.0497

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