Tony Rosen

Resident-to-Resident Aggression in Long-Term Care Facilities: Insights from Focus Groups of Nursing Home Residents and Staff

OBJECTIVES: To more fully characterize the spectrum of resident‐to‐resident aggression (RRA).

Sexual Aggression Between Residents in Nursing Homes: Literature Synthesis of an Underrecognized Problem

Evidence exists suggesting that most sexual aggression against older adults occurs in long‐term care facilities. Fellow residents are the most common perpetrators, often demonstrating inappropriate hypersexual behavior caused by dementing illness. This resident‐to‐resident sexual aggression (RRSA) is defined as sexual interactions between long‐term care residents that, in a community setting, at least one of the recipients would be likely to construe as unwelcome and that have high potential to cause physical or psychological distress in one or both of the involved residents. Although RRSA may be common, and physical and psychological consequences for victims may be significant, this phenomenon has received little direct attention from researchers. This is a review of the existing literature and relevant related research examining elder sexual abuse and hypersexual behavior that describes the epidemiological features of this phenomenon, including risk factors for perpetrators and victims. The legitimate and recognized need for nursing home residents, even those with advanced dementing illness, to express themselves sexually makes preventing and managing sexual aggression in nursing homes more challenging. This review discusses the ethical dilemma this situation creates and the need to evaluate the capacity to consent to sexual activity of residents with dementing illness and to re‐evaluate capacity as the diseases progress. Suggestions are offered for managing incidents of RRSA and for future research, including the importance of designing effective interventions.

Emergency Department Presentations for Injuries in Older Adults Independently Known to be Victims of Elder Abuse

BACKGROUND Elder abuse is under-recognized by emergency department (ED) providers, largely due to challenges distinguishing between abuse and accidental trauma. OBJECTIVE To describe patterns and circumstances surrounding elder abuse-related and potentially abuse-related injuries in ED patients independently known to be physical elder abuse victims. METHODS ED utilization of community-dwelling victims of physical elder abuse in New Haven, CT from 1981-1994 was analyzed previously. Cases were identified using Elderly Protective Services data matched to ED records. Sixty-six ED visits were judged to have high probability of being related to elder abuse and 244 were of indeterminate probability. We re-examined these visits to assess whether they occurred due to injury. We identified and analyzed in detail 31 injury-associated ED visits from 26 patients with high probability of being related to elder abuse and 108 visits from 57 patients with intermediate probability and accidental injury. RESULTS Abuse-related injuries were most common on upper extremities (45% of visits) and lower extremities (32%), with injuries on head or neck noted in 13 visits (42%). Bruising was observed in 39% of visits, most commonly on upper extremities. Forty-two percent of purportedly accidental injuries had suspicious characteristics, with the most common suspicious circumstance being injury occurring more than 1 day prior to presentation, and the most common suspicious injury pattern being maxillofacial injuries. CONCLUSION Victims of physical elder abuse commonly have injuries on the upper extremities, head, and neck. Suspicious circumstances and injury patterns may be identified and are commonly present when victims of physical elder abuse present with purportedly accidental injuries.

Diagnosis of Elder Abuse in U.S. Emergency Departments

To estimate the proportion of visits to U.S. emergency departments (EDs) in which a diagnosis of elder abuse is reached using two nationally representative datasets.

Screening and detection of elder abuse: Research opportunities and lessons learned from emergency geriatric care, intimate partner violence, and child abuse

ABSTRACT This article provides an overview of elder abuse screening and detection methods for community-dwelling and institutionalized older adults, including general issues and challenges for the field. Then, discussions of applications in emergency geriatric care, intimate partner violence (IPV), and child abuse are presented to inform research opportunities in elder abuse screening. The article provides descriptions of emerging screening and detection methods and technologies from the emergency geriatric care and IPV fields. We also discuss the variety of potential barriers to effective screening and detection from the viewpoint of the older adult, caregivers, providers, and the health care system, and we highlight the potential harms and unintended negative consequences of increased screening and mandatory reporting. We argue that research should continue on the development of valid screening methods and tools, but that studies of perceived barriers and potential harms of elder abuse screening among key stakeholders should also be conducted.

Assessment and Management of Delirium in Older Adults in the Emergency Department: Literature Review to Inform Development of a Novel Clinical Protocol.

Delirium occurs frequently in older patients in the emergency department (ED), is underrecognized, and has potentially serious consequences. Despite its seriousness, delirium is frequently missed by emergency providers, and patients with unrecognized delirium are often discharged from the ED. Even when it is appropriately recognized, managing delirium in older adults poses a significant challenge for ED providers. Geriatric delirium is typically caused by the interaction of multiple factors, including several that are commonly missed: pain, urinary retention, constipation, dehydration, and polypharmacy. Appropriate management includes nonpharmacological management with medication intervention reserved for emergencies. We have developed a new, comprehensive, evidence-based protocol for diagnosis/recognition, management, and disposition of geriatric delirium patients in the ED with a focus on identifying and treating commonly missed contributing causes.

Staff-reported strategies for prevention and management of resident-to-resident elder mistreatment in long-term care facilities

ABSTRACT Resident-to-resident elder mistreatment (R-REM) in nursing homes is frequent and leads to adverse outcomes. Nursing home staff responses may significantly mitigate R-REM’s impact, but little is known about current practices. The objective was to identify common staff responses to R-REM. The authors interviewed 282 certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in five urban nursing homes on their responses during the previous 2 weeks to R-REM behaviors of residents under their care. Ninety-seven CNAs (34.4%) reported actions responding to R-REM incidents involving 182 residents (10.8%), describing 22 different responses. Most common were physically intervening/separating residents (51), talking calmly to settle residents down (50), no intervention (39), and verbally intervening to defuse the situation (38). Less common were notifying a nurse (13) or documenting in behavior log (4). Nursing home staff report many varied responses to R-REM, a common and dangerous occurrence. CNAs seldom documented behaviors or reported them to nurses.

Medical and Laboratory Indicators of Elder Abuse and Neglect

Elder abuse and neglect are highly prevalent but woefully underdetected and underreported. The presentation is rarely clear and requires the piecing together of clues that create a mosaic of the full picture. More research needed to better characterize findings that, when identified, can contribute to certainty in cases of suspected abuse. Medical and laboratory data can be helpful in the successful determination of abuse and neglect.

Narratives of Self‐Neglect: Patterns of Traumatic Personal Experiences and Maladaptive Behaviors in Cognitively Intact Older Adults

To identify patterns of personal experience or behavior in self‐neglect by exploring narratives of cognitively intact older adults.

Emergency Medical Services Perspectives on Identifying and Reporting Victims of Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Self-Neglect

BACKGROUND Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers, who perform initial assessments of ill and injured patients, often in a patients home, are uniquely positioned to identify potential victims of elder abuse, neglect, or self-neglect. Despite this, few organized programs exist to ensure that EMS concerns are communicated to or further investigated by other health care providers, social workers, or the authorities. OBJECTIVE To explore attitudes and self-reported practices of EMS providers surrounding identification and reporting of elder mistreatment. METHODS Five semi-structured focus groups with 27 EMS providers. RESULTS Participants reported believing they frequently encountered and were able to identify potential elder mistreatment victims. Many reported infrequently discussing their concerns with other health care providers or social workers and not reporting them to the authorities due to barriers: 1) lack of EMS protocols or training specific to vulnerable elders; 2) challenges in communication with emergency department providers, including social workers, who are often unavailable or not receptive; 3) time limitations; and 4) lack of follow-up when EMS providers do report concerns. Many participants reported interest in adopting protocols to assist in elder protection. Additional strategies included photographically documenting the home environment, additional training, improved direct communication with social workers, a dedicated location on existing forms or new form to document concerns, a reporting hotline, a system to provide feedback to EMS, and community paramedicine. CONCLUSIONS EMS providers frequently identify potential victims of elder abuse, neglect, and self-neglect, but significant barriers to reporting exist. Strategies to empower EMS providers and improve reporting were identified.