UC-Irvine Center Spotlights Elder Abuse
While society has made great strides in highlighting and fighting abuse against women and children over the last 30 years, elder abuse has not gained the same amount of attention. A first-of-its-kind center at the University of California-Irvine is hoping to change that. The Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse & Neglect provides technical assistance, best-practices information, multidisciplinary training, and research to elder care professionals throughout the state.
The center was founded five years ago and is helping to raise awareness of the chronically neglected crime of elder abuse. "We say elder abuse is 20 years behind both domestic violence and child abuse," said Mary Twomey, co-director of the Center. "Elder abuse is finally getting the attention it deserves. People don't like to talk about getting old and about crimes against older people."
Research by the center has greatly increased understanding of elder abuse, both in private homes and in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. According to the center's research, the most common types of elder abuse by others are neglect and financial exploitation.
The center has also done groundbreaking research on bruising in the elderly, which can help us to better detect physical abuse in nursing homes. According to the research, most elders can remember the incident that caused the abuse, even those with memory disorders.
For more information on the Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse and Neglect, please visit their website. For more information on detecting and reporting nursing home abuse, visit the Nursing Home Advocates.
Topics Discussed in This Post:
Physical Abuse in Nursing Homes
Alzheimer's Disease Linked to Physical Abuse
