The Problem of Elderly People Who Live Alone: An Elderly Neglect Case (original) (raw)

2014, Turkish Journal of Geriatrics-Turk Geriatri Dergisi

Because of many concomitant chronic diseases, old age is a phase of life where elderly people become dependent on others for their self-care. Self-neglect and/or neglect of elderly people who live alone and cannot maintain a high quality of social, healthcare and psychiatric assistance is an important public problem. Sometimes the death of an elderly person is only noticed when a malodor spreads to the environment or maggots leave a house through the doorsill. This article presents an elderly case whose death was only noticed after the putrefaction of her corpse, and a large part of the corpse had been eaten by rats. The aim of this article is to point out the problems elderly people who are living alone and prone to neglect, and some suggestions for the solution to this important problem.

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