This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the profile of physical abuse against older people who underwent forensic examination at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The cases, with data from 1,027 forensic reports, were described according to characteristics of the incident, victim, and aggressor. Most cases of violence were produced by mechanical energ...

OBJECTIVES To develop a valid and reliable framework for evaluating cases of alleged elder financial abuse. DESIGN Experienced experts in elder financial abuse rated a framework with eight elements. SETTING Professionals attending an advanced training course on elder abuse. PARTICIPANTS Deputy district attorneys (n=44), senior law enforcement detectives (n=59), Adult Protective Service wo...

Elder abuse forensic centers present a new model of multidisciplinary collaboration on elder abuse cases. The "clients" of a forensic center are Adult Protective Services (APS), law enforcement, and the Long-term Care Ombudsman. Centers take the basic multidisciplinary team model and add a geriatrician and a psychologist. Additionally, forensic center team members make home visits with APS and ...

Among the many different professionals who work to address elder and dependent adult mistreatment, the clinical psychologist performs a function that is not well documented. The experiences of a clinical psychologist attached to a medical response team and an elder abuse forensic center provide insight into this complex and multifaceted role. Case examples from an elder abuse forensic center il...

Today, our understanding of elder abuse is changing because there has been more research, propelled in part by a related National Research Council agenda, increased federal funding for investigations, and a growing number of scholars interested in the problem. This article examines selected important studies since 2000, and suggests how their findings are affecting our understanding of elder ab...

Caregiver burden is among the most cited explanations for elder abuse in the literature. Despite its popularity, the explanation is rarely tested empirically. To fill this void in the literature, this study considers the role of caregiver burden in 751 suspected cases of elder abuse. The results suggest that the role of burden has been misstated in past research. Implications are provided.

A pioneering study aimed to quantify general practitioners' (GPs') knowledge of cases of elder abuse in the community. The research found that elder abuse is a problem encountered by GPs, and that a large majority of responders would welcome training in the identification and management of the problem.

Although reports of elder abuse to official agencies have been steadily increasing, physicians report only 2% of reported cases. Multiple barriers to reporting exist. This article reviews the terminology, epidemiology, and clinical signs associated with elder abuse in the community and offers practical strategies for intervention.

INTRODUCTION Elder abuse, a universal human rights problem, is associated with many negative consequences. In most jurisdictions, however, there are no comprehensive hospital-based interventions for elder abuse that address the totality of needs of abused older adults: psychological, physical, legal, and social. As the first step towards the development of such an intervention, we undertook a s...