Elder abuse detection and intervention: a collaborative approach

Preface

Introduction

Acknowledgments

section 1. Understanding elder abuse

1. Historical context

Historical context

Systems' responses to elder abuse

2. Defining elder abuse

Introduction

Age

Health and functional status of the victim

Gender

Residence : abuse occurs at home

Relationship between victim and abuser

Forms of elder abuse

Conclusion

3. Dynamics of elder abuse

Why does elder abuse occur?

Why specific forms of elder abuse occur

Why does an older person who is being harmed maintain a relationship with the abuser?

Conclusion

section 2. Responding to elder abuse

4. Identification and reporting

Identifying elder abuse

Indicators of elder abuse

Abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities

Additional guidelines for effective interviewing

Reporting/referring abuse

Additional considerations for reporting/referring abuse in facilities

Conclusion

5. Systemic responses to elder abuse

Adult protective services

Criminal justice system

Civil justice system

Health care system

Domestic violence and sexual assault programs

Long-term care ombudsman

Additional agencies that may offer useful services for elder abuse victims

Conclusion

section 3. Collaboration

6. Collaborative efforts : benefits and obstacles

Overview

Historical perspective

Collaborative and non collaborative approaches to elder abuse

Collaborative approaches

Types of collaborative efforts

Advantages of elder abuse collaborations

Recognizing and overcoming obstacles

Professional visions and philosophies

Challenges relating to historical distrust and poor prior interactions

Challenges related to definition and understanding of elder abuse

Challenges related to setting

Challenges related to legal requirements and limitations

Challenges relating to roles

Challenges related to personality conflicts

Additional challenges for formalized teams

Team member obstacles

Deviation from accepted procedures

Long-term team sustainability

Conclusion

7. Effective interventions and informal collaborations

Overview

Informal multidisciplinary responses

Case 1 : emotional and physical abuse and financial exploitation

Effective interventions through collaboration

Case 2 : caregiver neglect

Guiding principles : empowerment and self-determination

Case 3 : domestic violence

Case 4 : Betty : a case of self-neglect

Guiding principles in facilities

Case 5 : sexual abuse in a licensed facility

Conclusion

8. Team processes

Overview

Steps of team processes

Planning phase

The work

Evaluation

Sustaining team effort

Implementing change based on the evaluation results

Conducting strategic planning

Utilizing data to direct research

Dissemination of information about the team

section 4. Accomplishing the work

9. The work of a case management team

Overview

Phase I : case referral

Phase II : assessment or investigation

Phase III : crafting an intervention plan

Phase IV : implementation of the intervention plan

Multi-agency case : Doris

Single-agency case : Estelle

10. Enhancing victim safety through collaboration

Elder abuse can lead to serious harm or death

Case illustration

11. A collaborative model for holding abusers accountable

Law enforcement

Conclusion

12. Systems review and change through multidisciplinary collaborations

Introduction

Importance of systems review and change

Conclusion

section 5. Where do we go from here?

13. Strategies to end elder abuse

Need for strategic initiatives

Advocating for social change

Improving services and remedies for current victims

Helping future victims by expanding knowledge through data collection and research

Conclusion

Appendix A

References

Index.