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J Neurosci Rural Pract 2019 Apr-Jun;10(2):218-224

Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of elder abuse in a rural setting. In addition, the study aimed to evaluate the association of elder abuse with psychiatric morbidity and demographic factors.

Methodology: A total of 125 elderly (age ≥55 years) were evaluated for psychiatric diagnosis as per the International Classification of Diseases, 10 revision (ICD-10) criteria by the qualified psychiatrist and were evaluated on Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale for elder abuse. Read More

J Family Med Prim Care 2019 Feb;8(2):621-625

Department of Community Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, New Delhi, India.

Background: In India, proportion of elderly is increasing with decrease in mortality rate and increase in life expectancy. There is a paucity of studies on elder abuse, a problem faced frequently by an elderly. The present study planned to find out the prevalence of abuse and associated risk factors among community dwelling elderly in an urban resettlement colony of east Delhi. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Mar 27;20(7). Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Department of Medical, Surgical and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy.

Brain damage is a complex dysfunction that involves a variety of conditions whose pathogenesis involves a number of mediators that lead to clinical sequelae. For this reason, the identification of specific circulating and/or tissue biomarkers which could indicate brain injury is challenging. This experimental study focused on microRNAs (miRNAs), a well-known diagnostic tool both in the clinical setting and in medico-legal investigation. Read More

Curr Med Res Opin 2019 Apr 1:1-10. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

a Analgesic Solutions , Wayland , MA , USA.

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the abuse potential of NKTR-181, a novel opioid analgesic, in two phase 3 clinical trials using a newly developed reporting system: the Misuse, Abuse, and Diversion Drug Event Reporting System (MADDERS®).

Methods: SUMMIT-07 was an enriched enrollment randomized withdrawal study that examined the safety and efficacy of NKTR-181 across 12 weeks in opioid-naïve subjects with chronic low back pain. SUMMIT-LTS was a 52 week open-label study in opioid-naïve and experienced subjects with chronic low back pain or noncancer pain rolled over from SUMMIT-07 or enrolled de novo. Read More

J Elder Abuse Negl 2019 Mar 23:1-18. Epub 2019 Mar 23.

c Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging , Hunter College , New York , NY.

About 10% of Americans over the age of 60 experience elder abuse (EA), but EA is frequently under detected. As the primary responders for alleged EA cases, Adult Protective Service (APS) caseworkers are ideally positioned to improve detection and intervention. The Opening the Door (OTD) training was developed in a multidisciplinary setting and designed in collaboration with APS workers to enhance their engagement skills in potential EA cases and thus maximize the possibility of disclosure. Read More

J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Mar 22. Epub 2019 Mar 22.

Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Weill Cornell Medical College/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York.

Background: Elder mistreatment is common and has serious social and medical consequences for victims. Though programs to combat this mistreatment have been developed and implemented for more than three decades, previous systematic literature reviews have found few successful ones.

Objective: To conduct a more comprehensive examination of programs to improve elder mistreatment identification, intervention, or prevention, including those that had not undergone evaluation. Read More

J Elder Abuse Negl 2019 Mar 21:1-16. Epub 2019 Mar 21.

b School of Social Work , The University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington , TX , USA.

Long-term care ombudsmen are advocates who empower and assist residents with complaints relating to quality of care and violations of resident rights in assisted living (AL) and skilled nursing facilities (SNF). Given that long-term care residents are vulnerable to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation (ANE), and existing gaps in the literature addressing ANE in AL, more research is needed to understand the prevalence of ANE in these communities. Ombudsman complaint data (n = 140,497 complaints) in 3,171 Texas long-term care facilities were analyzed using proportion Z tests. Read More

Intern Emerg Med 2019 Mar 18. Epub 2019 Mar 18.

Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.

J Multidiscip Healthc 2019 27;12:169-172. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada,

J Elder Abuse Negl 2019 Mar-May;31(2):181-190. Epub 2019 Mar 16.

b Department of Emergency Medicine , Weill Cornell Medicine College/New York-Presbyterian , New York , NY , USA.

Elder abuse remains a largely hidden problem in our society and only a small minority of victims are connected to formal support/protective services. Healthcare settings have been identified as a critical milieu to uncover cases of elder abuse; however, under-detection in these settings is a major issue. Victimization disclosure is an important component within the overall detection effort, yet it has received little attention in the elder abuse literature. Read More

Afr J Emerg Med 2019 Mar 11;9(1):30-35. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.

Introduction: Violence and injury observatories (VIOs) are primarily a tool to aid safety and security stakeholders within both governments and non-governmental organisations to develop interventions focused on violence prevention and related to citizen safety issues. VIOs are centres that focus on collating and integrating violence-related injury data sources to monitor, evaluate, and study the progression of violence and crime in a targeted region. In preparation for implementing a pilot VIO in Cape Town, we sought to determine the optimal indicators, datasets and research priorities for inclusion. Read More

Geriatr Nurs 2019 Mar - Apr;40(2):214-216. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Riddle Medical LLS, Tarrytown, NY, USA.

Psychogeriatrics 2019 Mar 13. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Department of Nursing, Pamukkale University Faculty of Health Sciences, Denizli, Turkey.

Background: This study was performed to determine the prevalence of elder abuse among community-dwelling older adults and its associated risk factors.

Methods: The sample in this cross-sectional study consisted of 691 older adults. Data were collected with an elder abuse and neglect assessment form, which had been prepared by the researchers in accordance with the literature. Read More

J Forensic Leg Med 2019 Apr 20;63:26-30. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Section of Legal Medicine, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 49, 40126, Bologna, Italy.

Introduction: Elder abuse in recent times has reached a remarkable international importance. This complex phenomenon is still little understood and studied in Italy. The aim of this study was to explore Italian healthcare professionals' attitude and barriers toward elder abuse, with a glimpse on the current scenario and evidences to develop an action plan. Read More

JAMA 2019 Mar;321(9):837-838

Gotham Health/New York City Health + Hospitals, Brooklyn, New York.

Am Psychol 2019 Mar 4. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Adelphi University.

Although dependency in its various forms has been widely studied, most investigations examine manifestations of dependency within individuals. Scrutiny of the literature reveals that synergistic dependencies-situations wherein both members of a dyad manifest excessive dependency of one form or another-play a role in some forms of partner and elder abuse. High levels of interpersonal or economic dependency in a woman coupled with high levels of interpersonal dependency in her male partner increase the likelihood of partner abuse. Read More

BMJ Open 2019 Mar 1;9(3):e024199. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Paediatrics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Objectives: First, to investigate whether there is a relationship between a family being known to child protective services or police at the time of birth and the risk of abusive head trauma (AHT, formerly known as shaken baby syndrome). Second, to investigate whether data from child protective services or police improve a predictive risk model derived from health records.

Design: Retrospective case control study of child protective service and police records. Read More

Trauma Violence Abuse 2019 Feb 27:1524838019832979. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

3 School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.

Sexual assault (SA) in late life has been receiving growing attention over the past two decades. It is directed primarily against older women and has been the least frequently reported form of abuse. Despite the growing awareness and body of knowledge on this phenomenon, the theoretical framework is still limited. Read More

J Elder Abuse Negl 2019 Feb 27:1-7. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

b Geriatrics, Medicine , UCSF , San Francisco , USA.

Mistreatment is an important social outcome of the growing cognitive impairment epidemic, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to bring to light what is known about mistreatment in cognitively impaired individuals in Latin American Countries. We identified a gap in the literature on this topic that opens the door for future research. Read More

J Elder Abuse Negl 2019 Feb 27:1-11. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

b Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine , Weill Cornell Medicine , New York , NY , USA.

We present the Interview for Decisional Abilities (IDA), a semi-structured tool for use by adult protective services (APS) workers as part of their comprehensive assessments of clients. The IDA was created in response to a Federal mandate to standardize the procedures and competencies of APS agencies with a view to improving client assessments and facilitating cross-jurisdictional research on adult mistreatment. The proximal aim of the IDA is to guide workers in gathering information on the ability of suspected victims of adult mistreatment to make decisions about the risks they face. Read More

Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2019 May - Jun;82:120-127. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Objectives: To identify risk and protective factors associated with elder abuse among older Chinese with cognitive and physical impairment in the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Methods: 1002 dyads of care recipients and family caregivers were interviewed.

Results: The mutually reported rates were 9. Read More

J Gen Intern Med 2019 Apr 13;34(4):567-574. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Family Medicine and Geriatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Background: Standardization in tools and documentation of child abuse and intimate partner violence have proven helpful in completely documenting injuries and suspected abuse among these populations. Similar tools do not yet exist for older adults and elder abuse.

Objective: To (1) use insights from experts to develop a tool to assist clinicians in appropriately and completely documenting physical findings in injured older adults for potential future forensic investigation of abuse or neglect and (2) to assess the feasibility of incorporating this tool into clinical practice. Read More

J Elder Abuse Negl 2019 Mar-May;31(2):163-180. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

d Department of Radiology , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , MA , USA.

Pediatric radiologists play a key role in the detection of child abuse through the identification of characteristic injury patterns. Emergency radiologists have the potential to play an equally important role in the detection of elder physical abuse; however, they currently play little to no part in this effort. We examine the reasons behind this limited role, and potential strategies to expand it, by interviewing attending faculty from Emergency Radiology, Geriatrics, Emergency Medicine, Pediatric Radiology, and Pediatrics. Read More

PLoS One 2019 8;14(2):e0211806. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

College of Nursing at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.

This study analyses the multiple abuse against older adults reported to the elder abuse police units of three Brazilian cities from 2009 to 2013. This is a longitudinal and retrospective study carried out through the analysis of police reports (PRs) in the elder abuse police units of three Brazilian cities: Ribeirão Preto (SP), Teresina (PI), and João Pessoa (PB). Descriptive statistical analysis consisted of absolute and percentage frequencies. Read More

Gerontol Geriatr Med 2019 Jan-Dec;5:2333721418823605. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain.

To provide information relevant for detecting potential self-neglecting elders in a Spanish population. This study analyzed the records of 269 social services clients. They were classified in three groups: presumed adequate treatment (AT), at increased risk of abuse (RA), and at increased risk of self-neglect (SN). Read More

Health Care Women Int 2019 Jan 30:1-16. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

a Department of Health Education and Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences , Tabriz University of Medical Sciences , Tabriz , Iran.

We aimed to explore the meaning of elder abuse and its sociocultural factors from the perspectives of Kurdish older people. We purposively selected the participants, 38 female and 17 male, from a rural area in Boukan country, Iran. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions and were analyzed applying conventional content analysis. Read More

Cien Saude Colet 2019 Jan;24(1):87-96

Departamento de Estudos sobre Violência e Saúde Jorge Careli, Fiocruz. Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil.

This cross-sectional study was carried out in Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with familial violence perpetrated by caregivers against elderly dependents. A sample of 135 pairs was evaluated using instruments to assess both caregivers (social support, alcoholism, burden, violence) and elders (depression, cognition, functional capacity). Statistical tests compared the percentages of reported violence according to the characteristics of caregiver and elders. Read More

Intern Emerg Med 2019 Jan 29. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.

With ageing population the number of elderly vulnerable to abuse is expected to grow. Hospital personnel play a crucial role in identifying mistreatment. The aim of this study was to establish the level of awareness and perception of elder abuse by healthcare workers, and to understand if they are able to recognize and properly report elder abuse, as well as to identify the physical signs of abuse and neglect. Read More

Semin Ultrasound CT MR 2019 Feb 13;40(1):18-24. Epub 2018 Oct 13.

Department of Radiology, SG Moscati Hospital, Aversa Caserta, Italy.

Emergency department assessment is a critical opportunity to identify elder abuse and violence against women, which represent a growing problem, requiring the attention of health care systems. Elder abuse is most frequently perpetrated by family members because of the higher levels of stress, burnout, and financial problems affecting the caregivers that can even lead to deadly consequences. Intimate partner violence is defined as physical, sexual, or psychological harm caused to another by a current or former partner or spouse, and can range from a single acute hit to chronic battering, varying in frequency and severity. Read More

Issue Brief Health Policy Track Serv 2018 Dec 24;2018:1-48. Epub 2018 Dec 24.

Thomson Reuters Accelus.

Issue Brief Health Policy Track Serv 2018 Dec 24;2018:1-27. Epub 2018 Dec 24.

Thomson Reuters Accelus.

Rev Esc Enferm USP 2019 Jan 21;53:e03417. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Universidade Federal do Piauí, Departamento de Enfermagem, Teresina, PI, Brazil.

Objective: To analyze economic-financial and patrimonial cases of elder abuse, recorded in the specialized police station for security and protection of the elderly of a capital city in the northeast region of Brazil.

Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out with data extracted from police reports and inquiries recorded in the abovementioned police station. Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out by means of Pearson's chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, and multivariate logistic regression. Read More

J Bioeth Inq 2019 Mar 22;16(1):17-34. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, 3rd Floor Samuels Building, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.

For decades, aged care facility residents at risk of pressure ulcers (PUs) have been repositioned at two-hour intervals, twenty-four-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week (24/7). Yet, PUs still develop. We used a cross-sectional survey of eighty randomly selected medical records of residents aged ≥ 65 years from eight Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) to determine the number of residents at risk of PUs, the use of two-hourly repositioning, and the presence of PUs in the last week of life. Read More

BMJ Open 2019 Jan 21;9(1):e022736. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Introduction: Older adults are the fastest growing age group in Canada. Elder abuse has significant individual and societal implications, so it is critical to address. While interest in this topic is increasing, little is known about the risk factors for elder abuse in immigrant communities in Canada, or about culturally relevant strategies to address these risk factors. Read More

PLoS One 2019 14;14(1):e0210916. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone. Read More

J Grad Med Educ 2018 Dec;10(6):657-664

Background: Geriatric patients account for a growing proportion of dermatology clinic visits. Although their biopsychosocial needs differ from those of younger adults, there are no geriatrics training requirements for dermatology residency programs.

Objective: This study explored the state of geriatrics education in dermatology programs in 2016. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2018 18;9:599. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

EQUIDE Research Institute for Equitable Development, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico.

Elder abuse is a common phenomenon with important effects on the health and well-being of older adults. There are important gaps in elder abuse measurement, as it is usually reported as the absence or presence of elder abuse, disregarding its severity and frequency. Identify different ways of measuring severity and frequency of elder abuse and assess whether different experiences of severity and frequency suggest syndemic relationships. Read More

Asian J Psychiatr 2019 Jan 27;39:120-127. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kermanshah University of Medical Science, Kermanshah, Iran. Electronic address:

Background: In the past century, elder abuse has become an important health issue and a stressful event that negatively affects the physical and mental health of the elders.

Aims: Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of elder abuse in Iran through systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: All articles about elderly abuse in Iran since 2005-2017 were searched using the Google Scholar search engine, four Iranian databases (Magiran, IranMedex, SID) and six international English language databases(Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, Pubmed, Science Direct-Embase) with keywords of Elder Abuse, Elder Mistreatment, Elder Neglect, Abuse and a combination of these keywords. Read More

J Elder Abuse Negl 2019 Mar-May;31(2):146-162. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

a Center for Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology , Southwest University , Chongqing , China.

The present study aimed to clarify whether it is credulity or general trust that specifically affects vulnerability to fraud, as well as investigating the mediating role of susceptibility to persuasion and the moderating role of greed in this relationship. 254 Chinese older adults completed measures of credulity, general trust, susceptibility to persuasion, greed, and vulnerability to fraud. The results showed that credulity, but not general trust, was positively correlated with vulnerability to fraud, after controlling for demographic covariates. Read More

J Elder Abuse Negl 2019 Mar-May;31(2):129-145. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

d Women's Mental Health and Aging Core, Sierra Pacific MIRECC , VA Palo Alto Health Care System , Palo Alto , CA , USA.

Objective: To pilot test the feasibility of implementing an elder abuse (EA) screening tool (DETECT) designed for medics.

Methods: Testing occurred between September 17th, 2015 and October 26th, 2015. MedStar Mobile Healthcare medics completed the DETECT tool when responding to calls for community-dwelling patients 65 years of age or older. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 01 1;16(1). Epub 2019 Jan 1.

Department of Nursing, Dong-a College of Health, Yeongam-gun 58439, Korea.

Background: We examined gender differences in the prevalence estimates and correlates of elder abuse in a community-dwelling older population in Korea.

Methods: We analyzed responses from the Living Profiles of Older People Survey (LPOPS), which comprises a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized Korean older adults living in the community. A total of 10,184 older persons (4179 men and 6005 women) were included in the analysis. Read More

J Dent Educ 2019 Jan;83(1):39-47

Rebel L. Chapa, MSDH, RDH, is Instructor, Department of Dental Hygiene, Tarrant County College, and was an MSDH student, UT Health San Antonio at the time of this study; Beatriz M. Hicks, MA, RDH, is Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Periodontics, UT Health San Antonio; Thomas J. Prihoda, PhD, is Professor, Department of Pathology, UT Health San Antonio; Lynn A. Smiley, MEd, RDH, is Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Periodontics, UT Health San Antonio; Lisa M. Englehart, MSDH, RDH, is Associate Professor, Department of Dental Hygiene, Tarrant County College; and Melanie V. Taverna, MSDH, RDH, is Director of Dental Hygiene Online Graduate Programs and Assistant Professor/Clinical Faculty, Department of Periodontics, UT Health San Antonio.

Research published in 2002 reported limited elder abuse training in U.S. dental hygiene curricula although its importance has increased with an aging population. Read More

J Interpers Violence 2018 Dec 31:886260518821456. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

1 Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

Elderly sexual abuse has been almost completely ignored from researchers and practitioners alike. However, the occidental population is aging and living longer, suggesting that the number of cases of elderly sexual abuse should increase. Moreover, elderly sexual assaults have been described as being more violent, resulting in more severe injuries, and are more frequently committed by strangers, making criminal investigations more difficult to solve. Read More

Nurs Ethics 2018 Dec 28:969733018819124. Epub 2018 Dec 28.

University of Hull, UK.

Background:: Psychological abuse of older people is difficult to recognise; specifically, nursing home residents have been documented to be at higher risk of psychological abuse during daily care, such as during feeding. Healthcare professionals adopt positive and negative verbal prompts to maintain residents' eating independence; however, negative prompts' purposes and implications have never been discussed to date.

Research Aims:: To critically analyse negative verbal prompts given during mealtimes as forms of abuse of older individuals and violation of ethical principles. Read More

Gerontologist 2018 Dec 20. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Western Australia.

Background And Objectives: Without an effective screening tool, accompanied by clear guidelines of what to do when elder abuse is suspected, health workers may face challenges when asking questions about elder abuse. This study aimed to find the most effective and acceptable existing elder abuse screening tool and to create guidelines for using the tool.

Research Design And Methods: A rapid review of the literature identified existing validated elder abuse screening tools. Read More

J Law Med 2018 Dec;26(2):494-509

School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW, Sydney.

The prevention of elder abuse is a health priority around the globe. The Australian Law Reform Commission's 2017 report on Australian residential aged care facilities found that neglect may constitute elder abuse and that painful pressure ulcers (PUs) fall into this category. The purpose of this article is to examine deaths from PUs in elders 65 years and older. Read More

J Elder Abuse Negl 2019 Mar-May;31(2):115-128. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

d Research Division , Hebrew Home at Riverdale; RiverSpring Health , New York , New York , USA.

Older adults with cognitive impairment are a population at great risk for financial exploitation. At-risk older adults often have difficulty reporting on their own financial abilities. Collecting information from trusted others is vital for professionals investigating the financial exploitation older adults. Read More

Front Public Health 2018 4;6:358. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Science, School of Medicine, Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.

The concern about elder abuse increases as the global population ages. Elder abuse is a global public health, human rights, and criminal justice problem that goes beyond socioeconomic classes and regions. It remains understudied, especially in developing countries with limited resources. Read More

Int Psychogeriatr 2018 Dec 7:1-5. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, School of Medicine, Universidad San Pablo-CEU,CEU Universities,Madrid,Spain.

ABSTRACTRecent approaches in the care of older people have led to a greater emphasis on good practices to prevent elder abuse. The instruments assessing good practices are very limited, and those focused on elder abuse have rarely considered subtle forms, especially in institutional settings. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the content validity of a good practices scale for professionals working in nursing homes. Read More

J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Mar 10;67(3):609-617. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Background: Most dementia care occurs in the community with support from informal caregivers who are often distressed. Dementia caregiver distress is known to be hazardous to the caregiver's health, but the impact on the dementia care recipient is not well known.

Methods: We searched the Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases from inception until June 2017 for studies investigating the association of informal caregiver distress with health outcomes of community-dwelling dementia care recipients. Read More