Melanie Hwalek

Validation of the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test

Elder abuse is recognized as an underdetected and an underreported social problem. Difficulties in detecting elder abuse are compounded by lack of a standardized, psychometrically valid instrument for case finding. The authors examined the construct validity of the 15-item Hwalek- Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S/EAST). Nine items were found to discriminate significantly among three groups: (a) elders whose reported abuse was substantiated by adult protective services (APS) case workers, (b) elders whose reported abuse was not substantiated by APS workers, and (c) a community-based comparison group. The data suggest that this short, easy-to-administer screening device can be useful to service providers interested in identifying people at high risk of the need for protective services.

Assessing the Probability of Abuse of the Elderly: Toward Development of a Clinical Screening Instrument

Over the years, several investigators and service providers have indicated the need for a tool to screen elderly victims for the possibility of abuse and neglect. We examined over 100 items for their predictive value in discriminating cases of abuse/neglect from comparable cases of elderly persons known not to be victims. Data were collected by nine social/ health agencies on 50 cases of abuse/neglect and 47 control cases. Through a series of discriminant function data reduction analyses, nine items were identified that were 94% accurate in classifying cases into abuse/neglect and control groups. We discuss implications of these findings for future research and program planning.

Reason for case closure among substantiated reports of elder abuse

The reason for case closure was examined in a sample of 2,679 substantiated reports of elder abuse made over a 26-month period to the Illinois adult protective services (APS) program. The most common reason for case closure was the APS workers assessment that the victim was no longer at risk for abuse (34.5%), followed by long-term care placement (21.4%), administrative closure (14.2%), victim refusal of services (12.3%), and victim death (12.0%). Victims with multiple impairments were more likely to enter long-term care. Victims who refused services tended to have abusers who were substance abusers, had mental illness, or were financially dependent on them. Those who died had more impairments and were more likely to be disabled or nonambulatory at the time of the abuse report.

Domestic Abuse of the Elderly Which Cases Involve the Police

This article examines the role of the police in cases of elder abuse. This study of police involvement grew out of an earlier study conducted in 1981 by the Wayne State University Institute of Gerontology. This study analyzed 77 cases of elder abuse reported by medical and social service providers in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. Analysis of these cases suggested that there was a lack of involvement of the police in elder abuse cases. These observations were confirmed in interviews with the two supervisors of the only Adult Protective Services units in Wayne County (Detroit), along with an analysis of a random sample of 75 of the 360 cases reported to the Adult Protective Services division of Wayne County Department of Social Services in 1983. Case examples and reasons why the Adult Protective Services (APS) workers do not refer elder abuse cases to the police are discussed.