The article notes that in recent years there has been an increased emphasis on violence and abuse within society in general. Following a focus in the United Kingdom on child abuse in the 1970s and domestic violence in the 1980s, the abuse and neglect of older people began to elicit concern. The initial focus of interest was on situations arising in the domestic setting, but more recently, however, much needed attention shifted to situations involving institutional settings. The paper discusses these various types of elder abuse and neglect occurring in the United Kingdom, and provides an overview of the status of current knowledge concerning abuse of older people. This is followed by a discussion of some of the issues relating to the prevention of abuse and neglect from a United Kingdom perspective, averring that an understanding of the issues involved would contribute to an overall understanding of abuse and neglect of the elderly in the United Kingdom. In discussing the topic, said to be a challenging and problematic area, the paper highlights the different forms of abuse; programs for protection and prevention; current legislative frameworks for protection of the elderly; considerations for legislation; and approaches and best practices used to mitigate the problem. References