What's Age Got To Do With It?

2005, 14 minutes

The abuse of women does not stop or 'get better' with age--in fact, it often gets worse in later life. What's Age Got To Do With It? is a riveting video that brings the often-overlooked issue of abuse and violence against older women to the forefront. The video addresses the verbal, physical, sexual, and financial abuse that many older women face from spouses, adult children, and other family members. It looks at the manner in which emotional and psychological abuse erode feelings of self-worth over time, and documents the fact that domestic violence in later years in usually a continuation of long-term abuse.

Through several powerful, culturally-diverse vignettes, the video identifies some of the issues and situations that prevent older women from seeking help, including:

What's Age Got To Do With It? is an extremely useful and new resource to help healthcare and other service providers recognize signs of abuse and respond to the needs of abused older women.

Criminal Justice Response to Domestic Violence in Later Life

2000, 25 minutes

This re-enactment of domestic abuse in later life illustrates interviewing and evidence collection techniques to assist law enforcement in responding effectively to these cases. This video addresses the training needs of police officers and victim advocates responding to elder abuse. Five common types of elder abuse are examined: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse and neglect. Also examined are four types of abuse situations in which elderly people may find themselves: longstanding abuse, abuse in a new relationship, abuse by children and grandchildren and abuse by a caregiver.

When Help Was There: Four Stories of Elder Abuse

2000, 19 minutes

This video takes an ethnically diverse look at elder abuse. Four separate cases of either physical, emotional or financial abuse are presented: a Hispanic mother threatened by her son; an African American woman physically abused by her husband; an Asian couple put out on the street by their son-in-law; a Caucasian man defrauded of possessions and bank accounts by a "friend".

The video also tells how each of these individuals was helped and supported by a network of services - legal interventions, support groups and social services.

I'd Rather Be Home

1997, 29 minutes

This film documents the case of Norman, a man repeatedly abused by one of his adult sons, over a seven-year period. Eventually, after a severe beating, Norman ends up in a nursing home, has a mild stroke and is placed under state guardianship. Through candid interviews, Norman recounts several occurrences of physical abuse and his confused emotions regarding those incidents. He remembers the close relationship he shared with his children when they were younger, and recalls that he did not use physical methods of discipline. Norman is caught between wanting his sons punished for their actions and wanting to protect his children. Even though he still fears further abuse, Norman expresses his desire to return home to live with his family. Norman's wife appears to be entangled in a web of denial, as she expresses her disbelief that any abuse actually occurred. This piece courageously exposes the circle of violence, denial, and the tragedy of abuse towards the elderly in a very moving and realistic manner.

Elder Abuse: Five Case Studies

1992, 40 minutes

The video acquaints us with another dimension of family violence by sharing the stories of five older adult victims of abuse. The abused elders include four women and one man, and one person of color. Each case is tracked through time so that viewers learn what happened to the subjects months afterwards. Throughout the video there is ample evidence of appropriate and effective interventions by social services representatives and counselors. The dynamics of abusive relationships between adult children and their parents or between older adult spouses are revealed in painful detail.

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~yahnk001/greatcircle/elder-abuse-intro.htm

Thousands of older Americans are subjected to physical and emotional abuse by a spouse or adult child. In this video, the candid accounts of sufferers offer insights into the ambivalent feelings of older abuse victims as they try to find safety, and relief from their pain. Through their struggle, we also see a variety of interventions that can help to stop abuse, including counseling, shelters, supportive services, and legal action. This video is an outstanding tool for training nurses, therapists, and social workers and for alerting students to the complexities involved in elder abuse cases.

Serving the Victims of Elder Abuse

21 minutes

This video demonstrates how a team of professionals from diverse disciplines works together to resolve complex cases of elder abuse. Team members from the fields of mental health adult protection, financial management, civil law, geriatric medicine and law enforcement share their perspective on abuse cases and offer suggestions for intervening effectively.

Just To Have a Peaceful Life

1990, 10 minutes

This video profiles a woman who was married to an abusive husband for 45 years. She had five children who were also routinely abused by the husband. She left her husband three times when the children were small only to return because of financial need. She kept hoping he would mellow as he got older, but finally left him again at age 61 only to soon return again because of health problems. She died at age 63 without ever achieving the peaceful life she longed for.

Pat died at age sixty-three without ever achieving the peaceful life she had longed for. This extract of a case originally profiled in Elder Abuse: Five Case Studies is a frightening demonstration of the patterns of dependency and denial that fuel the cycle of abuse.

"This case study will help you understand more about the cycle of family violence. It can be used as part of staff training. It can also be shown in shelters, social service agencies, health care clinics, hospitals, and community and church group meetings to increase awareness and understanding of family violence."

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