Abuse of Elder Mothers

The National APS Resource Center released a new research brief, Elder Abuse, Mother Abuse & Parenting in Later Life. The focus of the brief is older mothers with adult children who are described as difficult. “The sample is low income and minority older women 62 years and older. All of the women had allowed their adult children to move back into the family home when the adult children had [become] unable to support themselves due to mental health issues, break up of a romantic relationships or unemployment.” The brief explains the stress these mothers undergo and the reasoning for why the mothers allowed their children to move back in with them and why they don’t make the children move out once problems occur.  Consider this from the brief,

A surprising finding is that none of the women ever used the word “abuse,” including those who had contacted law enforcement and/or had obtained an order of protection. Instead, they presented themselves as mothers who made the decision to protect their adult children over their own personal comfort or safety.

As far as policy implications, “[a] surprising finding is that none of the women ever used the word “abuse,” including those who had contacted law enforcement and/or had obtained an order of protection. Instead, they presented themselves as mothers who made the decision to protect their adult children over their own personal comfort or safety. ”  The brief suggests that APS workers and elder mothers develop a “safety plan” for addressing both the mother and child’s needs.

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