Elder Neglect: The Highly Unreported Form of Abuse
- hsuh482
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
Updated: 24 hours ago
The Forensic Lens: Bringing Elder Neglect Into Focus in the Emergency Department
Target Audience: Formal / Informal Caregivers, Family Members, Health Practitioners
Elderly neglect by caregivers is defined as a form of abuse where one intentionally fails to meet the physical and social needs of an individual. This form of abuse often leads to severe and potentially fatal physical and psychological consequences within older adults. Intentional or unintentional failures to meet needs like water, food, hygiene, and etc. could ultimately lead to the dangerous decline of health.
The Forensics Lens
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5003723/
Provide investigators a structured framework when viewing view social, clinical, and legal scenarios before determining the causes for elder mistreatment. Investigators are able to better assess elder mistreatment cases through this comprehensive approach, catering towards more person centered interventions.
In order to correctly assess elder mistreatment cases, inspectors must evaluate both care recipients and caregivers. Elder abuse may be will full or unintentional, furthering the complexities of elder abuse cases. While law enforcement is critical during specific situations where they are necessary, efforts at separating patients from their caregivers may have adverse effects on patient's lifestyles.
Annals of Emergency Medicine
Within two cases of elder mistreatment, two individuals were brought to the emergency department in dangerous states. In both cases their caregivers were investigated under suspicion of exhibiting signs of neglect, failing to follow APS standards and failing to meet the needs of their care recipients. The study aims to gain a better understanding of the complexities around these elder mistreatment cases, demonstrating the cruciality of analyzing both caregivers and residents, as well as home care environments and several other factors that may impact care standards. While law enforcement intervention may be necessary within situations of clear danger, removing older adults from their caregivers are not necessarily the most effective solutions in all cases. Interventions must be carefully curated, creating a balance between dignity and health preservation. While emergency response is considered the first priority during cases of elder neglect, multiple other assessments and planning should take place in order to prevent potential risks in the future.
However this doesn't mean that individuals facing elder mistreatment should seek help from emergency departments. The 'Intervention Decision Chart for ED Providers' depicts step by step instructions for how providers should approach situations of elder mistreatment. A wide range of approaches lead to differing solutions, depicting how a careful assessment of the case is critical in providing correct outcomes. Within the two complex elder mistreatment cases, systematic examination and assessment allowed for beneficial outcomes towards elderly patients and caregivers. In both cases family members of both elderly individuals hired hospice agencies to provide the older individuals with greater levels of care. APS, law enforcement, and family members must work alongside one another in providing the determination of negligent care.
Takeaway
Elder neglect is not simply the result of individual failure but a reflection of complex interactions between caregivers, recipients, and other systematic factors. As demonstrated by both case studies and the forensic lens, effective responses are not the most immediate interventions but rather more multidisciplinary approach. By prioritizing an individuals safety and autonomy, while protecting them from future risks of mistreatment, outcomes should depend on more collaborative strategies.
DeLiema, M., Homeier, D. C., Anglin, D., Li, D., & Wilber, K. H. (2016, September). The forensic lens: Bringing elder neglect into focus in the emergency department. Annals of emergency medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5003723/
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