• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Center for Excellence in Assisted Living

Center for Excellence in Assisted Living CEAL@UNC

Advancing the well-being of the people who live and work in assisted living through research, practice, and policy.

  • Home
  • About
    • Assisted Living and CEAL@UNC
    • CEAL@UNC Vision, Mission, and Principles
    • Leadership
    • Advisory Board
    • Strategic Advisors
  • Core Areas and Projects
    • Consumer Core
    • Practice Core
    • Policy Core
    • Research Core
    • Assisted Living Research in Progress
    • Expert Registry
  • Resources
    • CEAL@UNC Resources and Publications
    • CEAL@UNC Advisor Resources
    • Academic Publications
  • News & Events

Search Center for Excellence in Assisted Living

Canadian Review of Sociology

“Uncivilized Children” or “Victims of Dementia”: Interpretations of Aggression in Older Assisted Living Tenants

Feb 1, 2022
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: Researchers interviewed 13 AL residents and 19 care workers in two communities about resident aggression. Care workers reported physical and verbal aggression, while residents reported relational and sexual aggression from peers. Both groups often attributed aggression to communal living, aging, or dementia, suggesting that they normalized the behavior and often did not report it. Underreporting of resident aggression was more common for workers than residents.

“Uncivilized Children” or “Victims of Dementia”: Interpretations of Aggression in Older Assisted Living Tenants

February 1, 2022 by Lea Efird-Green

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: Researchers interviewed 13 AL residents and 19 care workers in two communities about resident aggression. Care workers reported physical and verbal aggression, while residents reported relational and sexual aggression from peers. Both groups often attributed aggression to communal living, aging, or dementia, suggesting that they normalized the behavior and often did not report it. Underreporting of resident aggression was more common for workers than residents.

Footer

Contact

CEAL@UNC
325 Pittsboro Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550
Email: CEAL@office.unc.edu
UNC School of Social Work Logo

Connect

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Featured Resource

Copyright © 2025 · Center for Excellence in Assisted Living · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design