Intervention accelerator to prevent and respond to abuse of older people : insights from key promising interventions

Abstract

Globally, abuse of older people (AOP) affects one in six individuals aged 60 years and older every year. Despite the widespread prevalence of AOP, evidence-based interventions for preventing and responding to this issue are insufficient. To address this gap, WHO proposed an initiative to accelerate the development of effective interventions for AOP across all country income levels. In the first phase, the initiative identified 89 promising interventions across a total of 101 evaluations or descriptions, which led to the creation of a public database. Most interventions targeted physical, psychological, and financial abuse and neglect, were implemented in the USA, and focused on victims or potential victims. These interventions were primarily delivered by social workers and nurses, usually in health-care facilities and community centres. Face-to-face delivery was common. Additionally, 28 (28%) of the 101 evaluations used randomised controlled trial designs. The results of this Review can be used to identify interventions that are ready for a rigorous outcome evaluation.