This book brings together international research from scholars and activists on the forms of violence that older women experience into a unique, comprehensive two-volume set. This volume is concerned with understanding the consequences and impacts of violence against older women. The majority of policy and practice has been developed to reflect the dynamics and contexts of violence affecting young women, and most of the available support services had focused on the needs of those of child-bearing age. This volume sheds light on the specific needs and effectiveness of responses to violence against older women, and identifies both challenges and opportunities for developing services that meet older survivor's needs. It will be of interest to researchers in social and health care, gerontology, sociology and social policy, feminist research and criminology.

Hannah Bows is Assistant Professor in Criminal Law at Durham Law School, Deputy Director of the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA) and Co-Director of the Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice. Her research interests are located within the areas of violence against women, gender and crime, victimology and feminist socio-legal theories. Over the last six years her work has mainly focused on violence crime against older people in the UK which has included projects examining domestic violence, sexual violence and, more recently, homicide. She is currently the PI on a British Academy funded project examining sexual violence and harassment at UK music festivals. Hannah is the Chair of Age UK Teesside and sits as a magistrate on the County Durham and Darlington bench. She is also Deputy Chair of the British Society of Criminology (BSC) Victims Network.

Preface

List of Contributors

Chapter One - Introduction

Chapter Two - Promoting justice for older victims of Domestic Violence

Chapter Three - Practitioner preparedness for working with older women

Chapter Four - They come with a package of issues

Chapter Five - Overcoming barriers: exploring specialist interventions for supporting older women to escape domestic violence and abuse

Chapter Six - Sexual violence against older women: documenting the practices of aged care service providers

Chapter Seven - Quality of life of abused older women: moderating influence of coping mechanisms

Chapter Nine - Empowering Older Women: Social Work Intervention with Survivors of Violence

Chapter Ten - Conclusion