Accelerating the pace of elder justice policy to meet the needs of a growing aging population.

Policy measures designed to address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation date back to decades, including the Older Americans Act of 1965. Over the years, various legislative actions have aimed to address elder mistreatment, culminating in the Elder Justice Act of 2010. Despite these efforts, policy changes lag behind need, and government funding appropriation is woefully inadequate.

Perspectives on elder mistreatment screening and responding in emergency departments: A qualitative study with survivors.

Objective: Elder Mistreatment (EM) occurs in approximately 10% of older adults and is associated with trauma-related outcomes including depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and early mortality. Low screening and older adult self-reporting, especially within emergency departments, represent missed opportunities for identify and mitigate future EM occurrences and consequences. To date, no studies have obtained EM survivors' perspectives on EM screening and response practices in emergency departments.

Leveraging VA geriatric emergency department accreditation to improve elder abuse detection in older Veterans using a standardized tool.

Elder abuse (EA) is common and has devastating health impacts, yet most cases go undetected limiting opportunities to intervene. Older Veterans receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) represent a high-risk population for EA. VHA emergency department (ED) visits provide a unique opportunity to identify EA, as assessment for acute injury or illness may be the only time isolated older Veterans leave their home, but most VHA EDs do not have standardized EA assessment protocols.