This issue received little public attention until the end of the 1970s; senior citizens seemed unwilling to report any abuse for fear of losing the little support they had from friends, family, neighbors, and professional agencies. The chapters in this book present an overview of the problem in its various permutations, summarize current research, suggest ways of accessing the mistreated elderly, discuss the impact of elder abuse on hospital social work, describe the development and ongoing function of a hospital-based multidisciplinary assessment team, and detail the rights of elderly, mentally-incompetent patients. The annotated bibliography includes 260 books, journal articles, reports, newsletters, and surveys related to elder abuse published in the U.S. and Canada between 1979 and 1987. They are arranged in over 40 subject categories; the resource section lists a basic library on the topic, visual aids, and the addresses of the major sources listed in the bibliography.