Editorial: Preventing neglect in formal care settings.

摘要

When we hear the words 'elder abuse' we often recoil in horror - the people who do this are monsters, and we would never behave in this way. This response is understandable, and a confirmation of our professional values - we practice to help and not to harm patients. As the papers in this section show, however, this response can stop us from looking closely at what is happening, and that elder abuse is bigger than us, and bigger than our patients. It can involve all of society and can have many dimensions.