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ensure accuracy. Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect, and
Exploitation in an Aging America these relationships and their
meaning to the people involved; the situational and motivational
factors that tend to enhance or impair the cognitive performance
of older people and their corollary capacity to protect their
own interests; and the social factors driving—and potentially
regulating—the settings in which older persons live, especially
those who are cognitively impaired or financially dependent. The
theoretical sketch outlined in this chapter offers one approach
for stimulating the thinking and research needed by the field at
this stage in its development. The panel recommends systematic,
theory-driven longitudinal research, both qualitative and
quantitative, exploring the changing dynamics of elder people’s
relationships and the r