Lawyers’ encounter with parents subjected to elder abuse by their adult offspring with mental disorders

ABSTRACT

One in six older adults in the world is subjected to abuse (WHO 2022). In Israel, a national survey indicated an 18.4% prevalence of elder abuse. Older parents of an offspring with mental disorder are at increased risk of abuse. Exploring lawyers’ experiences in elder abuse cases involving offspring with mental disorders. A qualitative study was conducted using in-depth interviews with 15 lawyers intervening via civil law in cases of elder abuse. Three themes were revealed: ‘A seething kettle’ – abusive offspring characteristics and family interactions; From a ‘pure lawyer’ to a ‘therapeutic lawyer’ – Transition from being a lawyer who examines intervention solely through a legal lens, to a lawyer who also considers the therapeutic aspects; How could things be different? Recommendations regarding training for lawyers; Expanding multidisciplinary teams including mental health professionals; Establishing therapeutic courts. Findings strengthened empirical evidence about the relationship between an abuser’s characteristics and their interaction with his or her parents as risk factors for abuse. Therefore, effective intervention should aim to assist both older adult victims and their abusive offspring, integrating legal and therapeutic approaches; Repositioning of lawyers as ‘therapeutic lawyers’ and establishing therapeutic courts may facilitate the necessary change.

KEYWORDS:

• Elder abuse
• offspring
• mental disorder
• lawyer
• intervention

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Professor Band-Winterstein, Department of Gerontology, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, for her assistance in the early stages of the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Statements and declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.