Vernon M J, Bennett G C
Department of Health Care of the Elderly, Royal London Medical College.
Br J Hosp Med. 1996;56(5):234-7.
Abuse of old people is an uncomfortable concept for health professionals. The phenomenon raises important questions about how we care for the older members of society and demands scrutiny of many moral precepts, such as respect for autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence. In common with the mistreatment of any group of individuals, elder abuse is not new, but until recently it has not been widely recognized, reflecting professional unfamiliarity with this difficult and challenging problem.
对于医疗保健专业人员而言，虐待老年人是一个令人不安的概念。这一现象引发了关于我们如何照料社会老年成员的重要问题，并要求对许多道德准则进行审视，例如尊重自主权、行善和不伤害原则。与对任何群体的虐待一样，虐待老年人并非新鲜事，但直到最近才得到广泛认可，这反映出专业人员对这个棘手且具有挑战性的问题并不熟悉。
