One of the aims of this monograph is to link the social, legal, and practical dimensions of elder abuse and neglect. It also assesses the social and legal remedies available to Canadians from the vantage point of existing research. A third intent of the monograph is to underscore the urgency of the need for additional research by identifying the theoretical and methodological flaws in the extant literature as well as the issues that merit immediate study. The first chapter reviews current social and legal definitions of abuse, describes the characteristics of the victims and the abusers, and examines studies of the incidence and the prevalence of elder abuse and neglect. The next chapter considers existing theoretical explanations of elder abuse and those factors known to be associated with the maltreatment of older adults. The succeeding two chapters detail the existing legal solutions to elder abuse and critically examine special adult protection legislation. Programs and services available for abused elderly persons are reviewed and evaluated in the following chapter. The remaining two chapters present an overview of the state of direct practice and assess the diagnostic, intervention, and preventive protocols offered to the practitioners, followed by a research agenda and directions for policy and practice that are warranted in Canada. Appended high-risk placement worksheet and assessment tool for elder abuse, a 252-item bibliography, and a subject index