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The National Adult Protective Services Resource Center (NAPSRC) is a function of the US Administration on Aging through a grant to the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA).
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JOIN THE NAPSRC
MAILING LIST!
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Recent Brain Research:
Good News/Bad News
Aging Does Not Impair Decision-Making, according to New Metlife Mature Market Institute Study
Challenging conventional wisdom that cognitive function declines beginning in the mid-forties, aging does not correlate with deteriorating ability to think for ourselves, according to "Healthy Brain, Healthy Decisions: The MetLife Study of Decision-Making Potential."
Press release available at metlife.com.
Paradox of aging: The older we get, the better we feel?
The "negative view of aging" contrasts with results of a comprehensive study of 1,006 older adults in San Diego by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Stanford University.
According to the principal investigator, Dilip V. Jeste, MD, "It was clear to us that, even in the midst of physical or cognitive decline, individuals in our study reported feeling that their well-being had improved with age." This counter-intuitive increase in well-being with aging persisted even after accounting for variables like income, education and marriage.
Results of the Successful Aging Evaluation (SAGE) study will be published in the Dec. 7 online issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry."
To view the entire press release, visit this link.
Aging Brains May Be More Susceptible to Fraud
New research suggests age-related changes in the brain make it harder to detect suspicious body language and other warning signs that people may be untrustworthy. The new brain research, published Dec. 3 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds older people, more than younger adults, may fail to interpret an untrustworthy face as potentially dishonest. The study, led by Shelley Taylor, a professor of psychology at UCLA, was funded by the National Institute on Aging.
More available at usatoday.com.
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Early registration deadline has been extended to February 14th.
CMS to Host Elder Maltreatment & Care Symposium March 8, 9am - 1pm
Participate onsite at Security Boulevard, Baltimore or by Webinar
The purpose of this symposium is to solicit input from stakeholders to assist CMS in further development of Measure #181: Elder Maltreatment Screen and Follow-Up Plan, as part of the Physician Quality Reporting System.
Interested parties are invited to participate, either on-site at CMS headquarters in Baltimore, Md., or via Webinar. The meeting is open to the public; however attendance is limited for both on-site and Webinar participation.
Register early, and no later than February 22nd, as registration will close when attendance capacity has been met.
Elder Abuse and its Prevention
A Workshop will be hosted by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies April 17-18, 2013 at the Keck Center on Washington, D.C.
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Dr. Phil Looks at Elder Abuse
On January 8th, Dr. Phil addressed elder abuse by interviewing two siblings - an adult son who accused his sister of stealing $100,000 from their aging parents. UC Irvine gerontologist Kerry Burnight, PhD was also interviewed.
View the show at drphil.com.
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The National Adult Protective Services Resource Center (NAPSRC) is a project (Grant No. 90ER0002/01) of the U.S. Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), administered by the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA). Grantees carrying out projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Therefore, points of view or opinions do not necessarily represent official Administration on Aging or DHHS policy.
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A Note from the Resource Center
The NAPSRC newsletter will now be bimonthly rather than monthly. As you will see, a lot can happen in two months!
As always, a big thank you to the Aging Policy and Public Health News
from Health Benefits ABCs and to the NCEA and NAPSRC newsfeeds for current news.
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Year of Elder Abuse Prevention
The US Administration on Aging (AoA) has declared 2012 - 2013 as the Year of Elder Abuse Prevention (YEAP) to raise public awareness about elder abuse and the importance of preventing, identifying, and responding to this serious, often hidden problem.
The AoA website has for more information including a toolkit on elder abuse awareness and customizable posters and fact sheets on the warning signs of elder abuse and how to protect yourself from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. To access the materials visit the AoA Year of Elder Abuse Prevention page.
AoA also issued several elder abuse prevention grants, through a competitive process, to:
- Alaska Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
- California University of California, Irvine
- New York New York State Office for the Aging
- Texas Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
- Texas University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Anticipated outcomes include:
- Development and testing of an intervention that prevents financial exploitation and elder abuse by bringing together entities with resources and skills to form a coordinated enhanced multi-disciplinary team that includes forensic accountants;
- Piloting an intervention to increase medication adherence in older adults who have chronic health conditions and who neglect themselves in order to prevent self-neglect;
- Translation of screening tools and a case management system to identify and prevent elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in medical settings and across community-based social support programs;
Native American Elder Abuse Prevention Grants totaling $700,000 were also awarded to the following Tribal Organizations:
- Tohono O'odham Nation
- Poarch Band of Creek Indians
- Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
Anticipated outcomes include:
- Development of a Multi-Disciplinary Team to address elder abuse issues in Indian Country;
- Development and testing of culturally appropriate evidence based screening tools (one to be used in a clinic setting and another for in-home visits); and
- Culturally appropriate train-the-trainer modules to improve skills on addressing and intervening with elder abuse
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California Mandates Reporting by Money Transmitters
Governor Jerry Brown of California signed legislation which requires money transmission licensees, e.g. wire transmission companies, to train their contracted agents to recognize and respond to elder or dependent adult financial abuse by April 1, 2013, and to train newly appointed agents within one month their appointment. The law also mandates that persons handling money transmission must report suspected financial abuse of elder and dependent adults.
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New York to Establish Justice Center to Protect Persons with Disabilities
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law creating a Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. The new agency, which will have over 400 staff, will oversee six state agencies and contractors providing state-funded residential and day services for about a million New Yorkers with disabilities and special needs.
The law responds to the finding that since 2008 there have been over 60,000 alleged incidents of abuse against persons with disabilities in just one state agency's care. The legislation establishes a new prosecutor, inspector general, hotline and other measures to address, in Governor Cuomo's words, "long-held injustices."
Most provisions of the new law take effect June 30, 2013. ____________________
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New Elder Abuse Tool for California Law Enforcement Officers
A new 368+ Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Guide for CA Law Enforcement is now available for Droid devices, iPhone, iPad and mobile web! The app includes an easy-to-reference summary of California's Elder and Dependent Adult Penal Code 368 and other common crimes that can be used in conjunction with a PC 368 arrest. Other first responders may also be interested in the Warning Signs of Abuse and Neglect, as well as Agency Contacts for cross-reporting and providing assistance to the victim.
This app was created by a partnership between the Institute on Aging in San Francisco and the Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse & Neglect at UC-Irvine. For a limited time, this app is available free of charge, thanks to supporters like The Archstone Foundation and UniHealth Foundation. To download the free app or to learn more, visit the Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse and Neglect website.
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Significant Legal Actions on Behalf of Adults with Disabilities
Appellate court: San Jose man owes nothing to trustee and attorneys in bitter probate dispute
In a "stunning" ruling, a California appellate court declared that a Silicon Valley trustee and his two attorneys are not entitled to any compensation, after a years-long dispute over their six-figure bill to briefly manage a San Jose man's life savings. Not only was the ruling major vindication for the 37-year-old man with disabilities who fought against powerful interests, it also sets legal precedent that strengthens the rights of others to maintain control of their court-overseen trusts.
First Federal Hate Crime Charges in Case of Abuse of Adults with Disabilities
The federal government for the first time has used its hate crime laws to bring charges against five people who allegedly imprisoned adults with cognitive impairments in subhuman conditions as part of a scheme to steal their Social Security benefits. The five suspects are accused of holding at least four developmentally disabled people in virtual bondage, depriving them of food and medical attention as they were moved among Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Florida. Two people died as a result of the imprisonment aimed at funneling $212,000 in federal funds to one of the suspects, prosecutors allege.
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US Task Force Rules Against Screening Vulnerable Adults for Abuse
The following is excerpted from the blog, GeriPal and so speaks only to screening for older victims:
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its updated standards for screening older or physically or mentally dysfunctional adults for abuse and neglect. The conclusion? "Recommendation I - current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of the service."
What does this mean? The wrong interpretation is that we should forgo screening for abuse and neglect in vulnerable older patients. While few studies have evaluated the accuracy and outcomes of specific screening strategies in older adults, elder abuse in its various forms affects in the range of 2% to well above 10% of older adults.
No doubt there are potential harms of screening for elder abuse, such as shame, guilt, retaliation, and the unnecessary turmoil caused by false-positive results. Yet while strong evidence on this topic is limited, existing reports suggest that the risk of such harms might be small.
Where to next? My own practice is (or at least aspires) to follow the recommendations in an excellent recent review by Drs. Mosqueda and Dong. They recommend:
- identifying risk factors for abuse or neglect such as cognitive or physical impairment, low degrees of social support, and aggressive behaviors.
- carefully observing for signs of abuse or neglect, include indications that the patient is fearful of the caregiver, has injuries in unusual locations or with inadequate explanations, and or evidences changes in behavior such as missing appointments or decreasing standards of hygiene.
- Finally, they recommend asking the patient (and caregiver, where appropriate) simple, direct questions, such as:
- Are you afraid of anybody?
- Are your mom's needs more than you are able to handle?
- Are you worried that you might hit your mom?"
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For-Profit Nursing Homes Fuel Rise In Fraud and Abuse Charges
According to an investigation by Bloomberg News, the rise of for-profit nursing homes is proving tragic for some of the nation's most vulnerable people, and has resulted in a spike in waste, fraud and abuse charges brought by federal authorities.
The profit motive is having an outsized affect on quality of care, according to Bloomberg, which obtained U.S. government data through Freedom of Information requests. "Thirty per cent of claims sampled from for-profit homes were deemed improper, compared to just 12 percent from non-profits," according to the article. Cases filed against the firms by law enforcement and by families of patients who died allege that for-profit nursing home companies pressure facility managers to minimize the number of employees and keep down their hours to save costs.
Read the full article at huffingtonpost.com.
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Have something you want to share?
Do you have a recent success story, a new program initiative, or a revised training you'd like to share with your APS colleagues across the country? Do you have an upcoming conference or other event you'd like people to know about? Would like to further honor your state and local APS award winners? Please send a brief description in an email to napsrc@napsa-now.org. |
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