Social Work Practice in Managing Elderly Abuse in South West Nigeria: Evidence from Osun and Ondo States

Elder abuse is a significantly underreported welfare crisis in Nigeria, where cultural expectations of family-based elderly care paradoxically create environments in which abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation occur without detection or intervention. This study empirically analyses patterns of elderly abuse and social work practice responses in Osun and Ondo States, South West Nigeria. An explanatory mixed-method design employs a survey of 180 elderly persons and 25 qualitative interviews with social workers, healthcare providers, and community leaders in Osogbo, Ondo, and Akure. Binary logistic regression and thematic analysis are applied. The study finds that financial exploitation, physical neglect, and psychological abuse are the most prevalent forms of elder abuse, with family members constituting the primary perpetrators in the majority of cases. Social workers report significant barriers to detection including cultural norms against reporting family matters to authorities and limited elder abuse screening protocols in welfare service settings. Drawing on critical gerontological social work theory, the study argues that elder abuse must be addressed as a manifestation of structural ageism rather than purely a family welfare problem. Recommendations include developing standardised elder abuse screening tools for Nigerian social work settings, establishing confidential elder abuse reporting mechanisms, and training social workers in gerontological assessment and elder rights advocacy. Keywords: elder abuse, social work, gerontological practice, South West Nigeria, elder rights