This paper presents a review of elder abuse and contextualizes it within selected publications which demonstrate the complexity of the topic. Such complexity is enmeshed within discourses of elder abuse and the interpretation within culture and professional discourses. This paper considers the discursive and practice silence in nursing with a particular focus on neglect. The publications selected are judged to represent key areas of discourses of elder abuse and neglect, rather than a wide-ranging literature review.