Elder abuse the subject of research
$654,000 grant to fund project
August 27, 2010
Armed with one of the largest federal awards ever made to combat elder abuse, Ventura County social workers are joining with researchers to test ways to reduce its impact.
The $654,000 award funds a project that sends medical specialists into the homes of vulnerable adults and assesses what difference the specialists make.
Another goal is to find out whether elder abuse follows a course similar to that of chronic disease.
“Over time, it gets worse without intervention,” said Linda Henderson, deputy director in the county Human Services Agency.
The National Academy of Sciences conducted a large research project that suggested the link with chronic disease, but it has not been proven, Henderson said.
Researchers at a yet-to-be selected university will test that theory by looking at the effectiveness of an assessment tool that Henderson and county social workers developed in 2008. If validated, it could provide something that social workers handling adult protection cases now lack in California, she said.
“There is really no instrument that assesses the level of risk and ties that to the interventions we provide and the outcomes,” Henderson said. “What we want to find out is if there is a particular profile based on this instrument that leads to a particular outcome over another.”
The project will primarily focus on seniors and disabled adults younger than 65 who neglect to take care of basic needs for shelter, nutrition and healthcare as their conditions deteriorate.
The problem, known as self-neglect, is common in complaints of adult abuse and neglect. Of the 2,271 complaints reported to a hotline last fiscal year in Ventura County, about 40 percent involved self-neglect.
Henderson said proper medical attention is key to getting better results, but many of these individuals are so isolated and fearful that they won’t seek it on their own.
They don’t eat properly, won’t leave their homes and may not have seen a doctor for years. They forget to pay their bills. Their thinking may be confused, although they’re not suffering full-fledged dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Social workers visit these vulnerable adults but lack the legal authority to force them to go out to see a doctor.
Now, however, a physician, a psychologist with special training in neurological disorders, a licensed clinical social worker and public health nurses are making home visits.
“This is a very exciting thing because we keep seeing people so vulnerable,” said Marcy Snider, who oversees adult protective services.
Managers already have seen some success since the program began in July, supplementing the work done by a multi-disciplinary team that includes law enforcement, mental health and senior agencies.
A doctor visited an elderly woman, found she had been ill in a hospital emergency room but had failed to get a prescription filled.
“We delivered it that day,” Henderson said.
Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, helped the county get the federal funding as an earmark.
Some have criticized earmarks as “pork barrel” projects benefiting a congressman’s district, but, Henderson said, this initiative could have national implications in advancing knowledge on elder abuse.
Gallegly said he was pleased to help secure the funding, calling the program comprehensive and cost-effective.
Preliminary results are due by the end of January.
© 2010 Ventura County Star.
SOURCE: The Ventura County Star
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