scholarly journals A Scoping Review of Financial Elder Exploitation Interventions

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 323-324
Author(s):  
Stephanie Skees
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Adult Protective Services ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Financial Exploitation ◽  
Attorneys General ◽  
Universal Definition ◽  
Mature Market

Abstract Elder financial exploitation (EFE), defined by the National Center for Elder Abuse (2021) as “the misappropriation of an older person’s money or property,” is a continuing public health crisis shown to cost individuals at least $2.9 billion a year (MetLife Mature Market Institute, 2011). Many believe this impact will increase exponentially due to the effects of COVID-19. In fact, a recent study conducted by Chang & Levy (2021) found that the prevalence of elder abuse as a whole increased from 1 in 10 older adults to 1 in 5 in the past year. Although increased collaboration between state attorneys general, Adult Protective Services, and financial institutions has driven progress in the field; there is still little known regarding EFE interventions. To address this issue, this study conducts a scoping review of the EFE intervention literature. This approach was chosen over a systematic review primarily due to the lack of a universal definition of EFE, as well as the limited number of studies available delineating between EFE and elder abuse as a whole. The main findings of the review reveal that current EFE intervention practices are focused on preventing abuse before it occurs by addressing risk factors for abuse in older adults; and are largely reliant on Adult Protective Services and the legal system. This finding is significant because state policies differ in their qualifications of EFE, thus leaving many older adults vulnerable and unprotected. Further interventions that address EFE while it is occurring and alignment across governing bodies are needed.

scholarly journals Best Practices to Overcome Barriers to Capacity Evaluations

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 696-696
Author(s):  
Ronan Factora ◽  
Saket Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Geriatric Medicine ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Adult Protective Services ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
Financial Exploitation ◽  
Essential Components

Abstract Because of the increasing incidence of elder abuse and financial exploitation, Adult Protective Services (APS) cases open for these individuals often relay on capacity evaluations conducted by a clinician to facilitate legal assignment of a surrogate decision maker. Despite this growing need, the number of physicians willing and capable of performing them is limited. Barriers reported by physicians reportedly impair their ability to conduct these evaluations include absence of relevant case information and lack of knowledge about the process itself. Geriatricians and related clinicians often perform these assessments. Sharing best practices with internists and family physicians may help overcome these barriers. A survey of geriatric medicine providers was conducted to identify essential components and questions necessary in the assessment of general decision making capacity. Twenty-nine providers at 6 academic institutions in Ohio responded to the survey and its follow-up inquiries. Though variability existed in evaluation styles and content between providers, a uniform set of recommendations was able to be generated. A total of 13 different summary recommendations were generated from this survey. Necessary components to these evaluations include (1) performance of cognitive testing (2) obtaining collateral information regarding functional status from another trusted individual (3) assessing the individual’s insight into any reported functional impairments or safety concerns by explaining discrepancies between that individual’s own observations and reported concerns from the trusted individual, and (4) using hypothetical situations to assess a person’s judgment and reasoning in addressing any gaps in care or safety concerns raised during the interview.

scholarly journals Age Differences in Elder Abuse Harm and Effective Services Offered by Adult Protective Services

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 669-670
Author(s):  
Pi-Ju Liu ◽  
Zachary Hass ◽  
Karen Conrad ◽  
Sara Stratton ◽  
Kendon Conrad
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Adult Protective Services ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Type Of Abuse

Abstract In this study, abuse, exploitation, and neglect (ANE) harm was measured by type of abuse using standardized items from the Identification, Services, and Outcomes (ISO) Matrix before Adult Protective Services (APS) interventions (pretest) and after APS interventions (posttest). Change scores from 1,472 older adults (average age 78-year-old; 57% female) and 591 younger adults (average age 53-year-old; 46% female) served by APS during the six months showed reduction of harm using posttest minus pretest. Nonetheless, older adult’s financial abuse harm (pretest=2.2, posttest=1.5) was higher than younger adults’ (pretest=1.5, posttest=1.2), while young adults scored higher in harm on all other types of abuse. Effective interventions differ by age group and by type of abuse, and will be discussed in detail. Results demonstrate the importance to consider vulnerable adult’s age and the etiology of abuse before implementing the services needed to effectively address ANE harm.

Risk Factors Associated With Elder Abuse: The Importance of Differentiating by Type of Elder Maltreatment

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 738-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelly L. Jackson ◽  
Thomas L. Hafemeister
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Adult Protective Services ◽  
Financial Exploitation ◽  
Logistic Regressions ◽  
Elder Maltreatment

Elder abuse research rarely differentiates by the type of elder maltreatment involved when identifying risk factors. The purpose of this study was to compare risk factors across four predominant types of elder maltreatment (financial exploitation, physical abuse, neglect by others, and hybrid financial exploitation [HFE]). Data were collected from two sources: interviews with victims of substantiated elder abuse, responding adult protective services (APS) caseworkers (N = 71), and third-party informants; and a statewide database that contained all substantiated cases over a corresponding 2-year period (N = 2,142). Using chi-square (interview data) and logistic regressions (Adult Services/Adult Protective Services [ASAPS] data), significant differences across the four types of elder maltreatment were found. These two datasets provide converging evidence for the importance of differentiating by type of maltreatment when identifying risk factors for elder maltreatment and for the importance of considering both the elderly victim and the abusive individual when predicting type of elder maltreatment.

scholarly journals Abuse of and Intervention for Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 86-86
Author(s):  
Pamela Teaster ◽  
Cory Bolkan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
The United States ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Adult Protective Services ◽  
Service Staff ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Abstract Beginning in the United States in 2020, SARS-CoV-2 lead to unprecedented changes in the lives of both younger and older people. Efforts to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, which included physical distancing and self-quarantine not only upended the lives of many people but also created natural laboratory conditions for the mistreatment of older adults. Exploring the mistreatment of older adults during the pandemic presented an unprecedented opportunity to examine perspectives of service providers and affected older adults. This symposium offers four perspectives on this subject. Dr. Karen Roberto and colleagues will present changes and challenges that COVID-19 brought for Adult Protectives Service staff and the vulnerable adults whom they serve. Ms. Lori Smetanka and colleagues will present changes and challenges that COVID-19 created for state and local Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Dr. Holly Ramsey-Klawsnik and Ms. Tammy Seaver will report on how the pandemic affected Nevada Adult Protective Services clients, casework, and staff. Finally, Dr. Pamela Teaster and colleagues will discuss how older adults experienced exploitation attempts during the early months of the pandemic. Dr. Cory Bolkan will begin the discussion, highlighting how conditions brought about by COVID-19 both enabled and thwarted efforts to address elder abuse.

scholarly journals Elder Abuse Victims During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Administrative Data From San Francisco Adult Protective Services

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 74-74
Author(s):  
Pi-Ju Liu ◽  
Aining Wang ◽  
Laura Schwab-Reese ◽  
Sara Stratton
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Adult Protective Services ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Medical Needs

Abstract This study examined elder mistreatment victims’ experiences at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco Adult Protective Services (APS) caseworkers conducted phone interviews to inquire about clients’ awareness of COVID-19 and unmet needs. Nine-hundred-and-thirty-four (71%) of 1,313 APS’ past clients or their collaterals were interviewed, with 741 (79%) responding positively to COVID-19-awareness questions, and 697 (75%) having no unmet needs. Binary logistic regression with Firth adjusted maximum likelihood estimation method revealed that older persons (p < .05), self-neglectors (p < .05), and victims of neglect (p < .05) were less aware of COVID-19. Unmet needs varied by mistreatment type. Victims of isolation were more likely to have medical needs (p < .05), while victims of emotional abuse were more likely to report loneliness (p < .001). Collaboration between service providers is key in assisting victims experiencing unmet needs to live safely in a public health crisis.

scholarly journals Pathways to and Consequences of Surrogate Decision-Making for Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 702-702
Author(s):  
Pamela Teaster ◽  
Cory Bolkan ◽  
Shawn Meyers
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Surrogate Decision Making ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
Adult Protective Services ◽  
Surrogate Decision Makers ◽  
Surrogate Decision

Abstract With a burgeoning aging population, there is a growing need for surrogate decision makers, yet oversight of and guidance for them remains inadequate. People needing surrogate decision makers are an especially vulnerable population because they rely on others for care and/or are unable to advocate for themselves. Their vulnerability leaves them susceptible to elder abuse (e.g., physical, sexual, psychological abuse; active and passive neglect; financial exploitation), which affects approximately five million older Americans each year. Personal, financial, and societal impacts can be devastating and are estimated to cost billions annually. The issue of abuse, neglect and exploitation by surrogates has been highly visible nationally, evidence indicates that some surrogate decision makers perpetrate abuse. One purpose of this symposium is to discuss ways in which surrogates do and do not make decisions for older adults. Ramsey-Klawsnik and Burnett present data at the systemic level to illustrate how self-neglect sequelae can result in placement under surrogate decision-making authority of either well-intended or opportunistic others. Bolkan, Teaster, Ramsey-Klawsnik, and Gerow present findings from a six-state study on surrogate decision maker victims and perpetrators who were substantiated in Adult Protective Services cases. Zhao, Katz, and Teaster show, using a survey of M-Turk participants, how a general population makes and is comfortable with surrogate decisions. Discussant Shawn Meyers will pull together the findings by exploring their translation to judicial best practices for making determinations regarding surrogate decision makers and the effects of their decisions on the surrogate as well as collaterals.

scholarly journals Recognizing and Intervening on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in the Age of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 73-73
Author(s):  
Pi-Ju Liu ◽  
Pamela Teaster
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Elder Mistreatment ◽  
Adult Protective Services ◽  
Age Related

Abstract The rapid outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a global pandemic. Public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing and self-quarantine, have drastically altered people’s lives and led to social isolation, financial instability, and disrupted access to healthcare and social services. Older adults have not only borne the brunt of the highest COVID-19 mortality rates, but recent studies also describe growing reports of elder mistreatment. It is necessary to attend to these age-related disparities during the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic and future health crises. This symposium includes four presentations on researchers’ findings in elder mistreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. E-Shien Chang will compare prevalence of elder mistreatment before and since the pandemic, and highlight associated risk and protective factors during the pandemic. Dr. Lena Makaroun will examine changes in elder mistreatment risk factors among caregivers during the pandemic. Dr. Pamela Teaster will present Adult Protective Services’ (APS) policy and practice changes in response to the pandemic to demonstrate the pandemic’s impact on service providers. Lastly, Dr. Pi-Ju (Marian) Liu will appraise elder mistreatment victims’ awareness of COVID-19 and their unmet needs during the pandemic. Following the four presentations, Dr. Pamela Teaster will moderate a discussion on how elder mistreatment is a growing concern, especially during the pandemic, and what service providers are doing to protect older adults.

Barriers to Help Seeking among Victims of Elder Abuse: A Scoping Review and Implications for Public Health Policy in Canada

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Jessica K. Gill
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Canadian Context ◽  
Effective Assessment

Abstract Elder abuse is a serious public health concern requiring immediate intervention; however, the under-reporting of elder abuse by victims to formal and informal networks remains a major obstacle. This scoping review aims to identify barriers to help seeking that older adults experiencing abuse confront. The goal is to inform public policies and practices in the Canadian context and identify research gaps in the extant literature. Seven scholarly databases were searched from which 12 articles met the inclusion criteria and were extracted for analysis. The findings from this scoping review revealed three levels at which barriers exist: individual focused, abuser/family focused, and community/culture focused barriers. The results suggest that there are several complex obstacles that older adults face when contemplating disclosure of abuse. Future research into help seeking in the Canadian context should more readily incorporate the voices of elder abuse victim-survivors to develop effective assessment strategies and responsive service provisions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document