When older adults live in poverty, without the basic necessities of life and family support, their risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation increases.
In some developing countries, older widows are abandoned, and their property is seized.
In other places, older widows are accused of witchcraft if there is an unexplained death or crop failure in the community.
Lack of education on the aging process and diseases. If a parent has Alzheimer’s, they are thought to be possessed by a demon.
People are fleeing the country for better opportunities, leaving the elderly behind in deteriorating rural homesteads.