Elder Abuse and Mistreatment

1
Elder Abuse and Mistreatment
2
Recognizing Elder Abuse

• Abuse can be emotional, financial, sexual or
  physical
• Often unrecognized and not identified
• The Elder Assessment (1984)
• -44 items derived from literature on causes of
  elder abuse
• - seven sections for clinician review

3
Indicators of Abuse

• Unexplained bruises or burns
• Unaccounted for loss of funds from bank accounts
  and investments
• Poor hygiene
• Unexplained changes in property deads
• Signs of sexual assault
• Abandonment of patients with severe cognitive
  impairment.

4
Four Subtypes of maltreatment

• Abuse (kicking, punching, slapping)
• Neglect ( omissions of care, nutrition, etc)
• Exploitation (using the individuals resources
  for personal gain)
• Abandonment ( withdrawal of care, services or
  companionship)
• Actions are intentional and cause harm

5
Using the EAI

• Interview
• Physical Assessment
• Progress from less to more sensitive questions in
  a quiet setting
• Screening does not result in a score
• Interpretation can be influenced by culture,
  false accusations
• Communicate findings to patient and family

6
Changes in Systems

• Development of legal guidelines
• Requirement for screening
• Guidelines for reporting
• Development of approaches to treatment,
  counseling and support of patients and families