190349 Protocol for Detecting and Reporting Elder Abuse

Monday, October 27, 2008

Janeth Berenice Velazquez, MPH, CHES , Health Sciences, California State University, Fullerton, Whittier, CA
Elder abuse is defined, as the abuse, mistreatment, and/or neglect of a person 65 years or older. Every year, 2 million elders are abused and 4 out of 5 cases go unreported.

A critical part of addressing this public health issue lies with better detection and reporting procedures in clinical settings. Physicians therefore, can play a role in reporting elder abuse yet, only 2% of cases reported are initiated by physicians.

Research suggests that physicians may lack awareness in elder abuse as well as inappropriate procedures to take when abuse is suspected.

The purpose of this project is to create a protocol for detecting and reporting elder abuse that physicians can use in their clinical practice. This protocol is designed to educate physicians on the public health problem of elder abuse, effective detection and reporting procedures.

Learning Objectives:
Increase awareness of elder abuse among the US population Gain understanding of the key role physicians play in detecting and reporting elder abuse Educate about the services provided by the two agencies investigating elder abuse cases Provide a research based elder abuse detection summary Understand elder abuse reporting procedures Provide best practices screening tools for future reference Provide a list of elder abuse prevention resources available

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a MPH, CHES and have over 10 years experience workin with the elderly
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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