Living arrangements, particularly overcrowded conditions and a lack of privacy, have been associated with conflict within families. Although abuse can occur when the abuser and the older person suffering abuse live apart, the older person is more at risk when living with the caregiver. The early theories on the subject also sought to associate dependency with increased risk of abuse. At first the emphasis focused on the dependency of the victim on the caregiver or abuser, though later case work identified abusers who were dependent on the older person – usually adult children dependent on elderly parents for housing and financial assistance (32). In some of these cases a ‘‘web of interdependency’’ was evident.
