Background: Mistreatment of the elderly is a hidden problem and has received increasing
attention over the past decade as a common problem with serious consequences for the
health and wellbeing of elderly people.Aim of the study: was to determine the extent of
mistreatment of elderly people living in their homes in the rural area of Shebin El- kom district,
Menoufia governorate, Egypt. Subjects & methods: Research design: A descriptive study
design was used. Setting: The study was conducted in Meleeg and Meet afia villages"
Shebin El- kom district, Menoufia governorate through home visit. Subjects: 300
respondents, who answered face-to-face survey questionnaires. Tools: Three tools were
utilized for data collection: questionnaire for socio demographic characteristics, elder
Assessment Instrument (EAI) and Hawaleksengstok screening test for mistreatment.
Results: Forty three percent of elderly mistreatment was reported by the studied sample. The
predominant type of elder mistreatment was financial (27.0%) followed by psychological
mistreatment (18.0%) and physical mistreatment (7.7%). Elderly mistreatment was associated
with age more than 75 years old, female, unmarried, presence of chronic disease and
disabilities. Conclusions: The most common pattern of elderly mistreatment was financial
mistreatment which is considered the predominant type of Elderly mistreatment followed by
emotional and physical mistreatment. The prevalence of elderly mistreatment was forty three
percent for all types. Female, unmarried, having disabilities, and chronic disease were
considered the most common risk factors for elderly mistreatment. Recommendations:
Including health education for family and community in order to prevent and control of elder
mistreatment, training program for caregivers that provide them proper dealing with elderly,
identifying alternative resources of care for elderly and how to gain access to them.