Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect最新文献

Although health care access among adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) improved in the past decade, persistent challenges still exist in obtaining care coordination and supportive services. As the life expectancy of individuals living with IDD increases and care succession occurs from family's community care to institutional care, the risk of maltreatment among adults with IDD is growing. Health conditions, for example, cognitive impairment pose a risk of maltreatment in adults with IDD. This commentary aims at addressing the contribution of these health conditions and better health care workforce training in order to ameliorate the risk of maltreatment among adults with IDD.

This study examines the experiences of Mongolian family physicians in detecting elder abuse during medical encounters with older patients. Using thematic analysis, the study explores how physicians become aware of and respond to incidents of elder abuse. A total of 24 family physicians participated in semi-structured interviews. Four core themes, (1) encounters with elder abuse cases, (2) mechanisms of detection, (3) means of assistance, and (4) barriers to taking action, emerged from the analysis. The findings suggest that frequent interactions with older patients significantly influence physicians' overall identification of potential victims of elder abuse during their medical practice in primary care settings. The strategies used to assist potential victims during medical encounters vary widely. Barriers to reporting elder abuse cases are related to institutions, physicians, and patients. Significant measures for prevention of elder abuse in primary health care settings in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, are recommended.

Elder abuse is predicted to rise, and hospital social workers receive professional training to respond. A scoping review was conducted to map the breadth and extent of existing literature on hospital social worker roles in response to elder abuse. Key words searched across six databases and five journals were "social work*," "hospital*," "elder*," "abus*" and their derivatives to identify relevant literature. Included literature was peer reviewed and published since 2000. A manual citation search was also undertaken. Thematic analysis and descriptive reporting followed. A total of 32 publications were included. These were predominantly from the United States, focused on the Emergency Department setting, and were not social work-specific research. Identified themes were 1) social workers as key members in the multidisciplinary team, 2) screening for abuse and responding in the Emergency Department 3) psychosocial assessments are important, and 4) service linkages are a key role of the social worker.

Adult Protective Services (APS) professionals frequently interact with clients who are seriously ill or dying as they investigate cases of elder abuse and self-neglect. This study explored the unique challenges and support needs of APS workers in these end-of-life contexts. Seven focus groups and one individual interview with APS professionals and individuals working closely with APS were conducted. Thematic analysis identified two overarching domains: (1) challenges - including family conflict, limited caregiver preparedness, client self-determination, challenges to service access, and emotional strain on professionals; and (2) support needed - such as improved interagency collaboration, peer and organizational support. Participants emphasized the emotional toll of witnessing client decline and death, and highlighted gaps in training, coordination, and workplace support. Findings highlight the need for targeted policy and practice reforms to better equip APS professionals addressing elder abuse and self-neglect at the end of life.

Sexual violence and abuse (SVA) against older adults remains an underexplored phenomenon. The dearth of research into how these crimes occur may mean opportunities for proactive prevention and intervention are potentially missed. To address current knowledge gaps, this study developed the first-known crime script for SVA against older people through analysis of 17 Australian court judgment texts (n = 19 events). Findings show that court-adjudicated incidents were often perpetrated by younger males (typically strangers), took place within the victim's home during the night, and were characterized by excessive violence and egregious sexual acts, despite active victim resistance. Importantly, an absence of guardianship, along with vulnerabilities in home security, were identified as key enablers of SVA perpetration in this sample. Situational crime prevention strategies (i.e. extend guardianship, target hardening) are recommended to strengthen preventative efforts and discourage SVA in these circumstances, thus ensuring older adults are adequately protected from potential harm.

Licensed caregivers (LCs) are crucial in Korea's long-term care systems, ensuring the well-being of older adults. This study examines the human rights awareness of 1,050 LCs against a backdrop of increasing elder abuse in residential facilities. The study employed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to assess multi-dimensional human rights awareness - spanning self-determination, anti-discrimination, individualized care, anti-abuse, and advocacy. We identified three dimensions: Person-Centered Care, Anti-Abuse, and Insensitive Care. LCs were categorized into five profiles: Basic Awareness (BAR), Sensitivity to Abuse Only (SOA), Unawareness (UHR), Sensitivity to Human Rights (SHR), and Unassertiveness in Advocacy Rights (UAR). Predominantly, LCs exhibited strong human rights sensitivity, falling into the SHR group, showing strong human rights sensitivity. The results underscore the necessity of targeted, ongoing education to bridge gaps in advocacy and comprehensive care, advocating for a personalized care approach in facilities for older adults.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of a board game on the level of knowledge among nursing students about older people neglect and abuse. This randomized controlled study included an experimental group that received a board game intervention and a control group that participated in case study discussions. Before the intervention, all students received a brief theoretical training on elder neglect and abuse. The Older People Neglect and Abuse Knowledge Test was used to collect data. The mean knowledge scores of nursing students in both groups increased after the intervention. The experimental group showed a significantly greater improvement in knowledge (pretest = 19.51 ± 1.8; posttest = 22.65 ± 1.5; d = 1.89) compared to the control group (pretest = 20.00 ± 2.6; posttest = 21.42 ± 2.2; d = 0.58) (p = .049, d = 0.65). Case studies and board games are both effective in increasing students' level of knowledge about older people abuse.

Filial piety, a traditional value that dominates the family structure in many societies, plays a significant role in the well-being of the geriatric population. The gravity of a healthy filial relation is weighed out in the existing literature, by highlighting correlations with the onset of depression, loneliness, low life-satisfaction and suicidal tendencies. Grounded in the expectations of respect, care and obedience, these values have been challenged by the changing family dynamics of the modern world. This commentary explores how such discrepancies could instill a perception of neglect and abuse among the older population, thereby affecting their quality of life.

Growing research evidence has shown that grandparents who provide care to their grandchildren as kinship caregivers (termed grandparent kinship care) experience several challenges, including abuse by the children in their care. We argue that grandmother kinship caregivers in Ghana may be subjected to severe and continuous abuse due to the legitimacy of myths about witchcraft accusations against older people. Following narrative interviews with 31 grandmother kinship caregivers in Ghana, who have experienced abuse and harm from children in their care, we found that the grandmothers used physical punishment and discipline, neglect, and other violence strategies to control and mitigate abusive behaviors of the children in their care. Grandmothers need protection from abuse; thus, we recommend the development of parenting programs to enable grandparent kinship caregivers to develop skills to protect themselves and prevent future harm by children in their care.

Although some countries have enacted laws against coercive control, there are mixed definitions of the associated patterns of behaviors, particularly when they are perpetrated against older people. Such definitional inconsistency is problematic as it can perpetuate the invisibility of coercive control, increase the risk of harm and isolation of victims, minimize the possibility of criminal charges being laid, and challenge researchers investigating the topic. This commentary provides an evidence-based definition of coercive control to support greater consistency in understanding and approaches to managing the behaviors and, in the process, improve healthcare, social policy, and research practices that better protect vulnerable older people.