Financial exploitation of older adults: a population-based prevalence study.

BACKGROUND: Financial exploitation is the most common and least studied form of elder abuse. Previous research estimating the prevalence of financial exploitation of older adults (FEOA) is limited by a broader emphasis on traditional forms of elder mistreatment (e.g., physical, sexual, emotional abuse/neglect). OBJECTIVES: 1) estimate the one-year period prevalence and lifetime prevalence of FEOA; 2) describe major FEOA types; and 3) identify factors associated with FEOA. DESIGN: Prevalence study with a random, stratified probability sample. PARTICIPANTS: Four thousand, one hundred and fifty-six community-dwelling, cognitively intact adults age ≥ 60 years. SETTING: New York State. MAIN MEASURES: Comprehensive tool developed for this study measured five FEOA domains: 1) stolen or misappropriated money/property; 2) coercion resulting in surrendering rights/property; 3) impersonation to obtain property/services; 4) inadequate contributions toward household expenses, but respondent still had enough money for necessities and 5) respondent was destitute and did not receive necessary assistance from family/friends. KEY RESULTS: One-year period FEOA prevalence was 2.7% (95% CI, 2.29-3.29) and lifetime prevalence was 4.7% (95% CI, 4.05-5.34). Greater relative risk (RR) of one-year period prevalence was associated with African American/black race (RR, 3.80; 95 % CI, 1.11-13.04), poverty (RR, 1.72; 95 % CI, 1.09-2.71), increasing number of non-spousal household members (RR, 1.16; 95 % CI, 1.06-1.27), and ≥ 1 instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) impairments (RR, 1.69; 95 % CI, 1.12-2.53). Greater RR of lifetime prevalence was associated with African American/black race (RR, 2.61; 95 % CI, 1.37-4.98), poverty (RR, 1.47; 95 % CI, 1.04-2.09), increasing number of non-spousal household members (RR, 1.16; 95 % CI, 1.12-1.21), and having ≥1 IADL (RR, 1.45; 95 % CI, 1.11-1.90) or ≥1 ADL (RR, 1.52; 95 % CI, 1.06-2.18) impairment. Living with a spouse/partner was associated with a significantly lower RR of lifetime prevalence (RR, 0.39; 95 % CI, 0.26-0.59) CONCLUSIONS: Financial exploitation of older adults is a common and serious problem. Elders from groups traditionally considered to be economically, medically, and sociodemographically vulnerable are more likely to self-report financial exploitation.

Ageism and abuse in the workplace: a new frontier.

The economic crisis in the United States has led to increased media coverage of older workers being laid off, forced to retire, or working longer than planned. Embedded in these reports are the intimations of workplace abuse. Social workers need to start taking into account ageism and abuse in the workplace as possible cooccurring issues to effectively implement policy, and organizational change that will address both issues. This brief article discusses ageism and abuse in the workplace using a human rights framework, the current state of the literature, and directions for future research.

Effect of Alzheimer's training on multicultural personal care aides.

This article reports on the first 2 years of an ongoing project that examined the efficacy of a 10-hour dementia training provided to entry-level personal care aide (PCA) trainees from the Hispanic, White, African American, and Asian communities in New York City. Participants were enrolled in a 90-hour PCA training program offered by the New York City Department for the Aging and were either recipients of public assistance, displaced employees from September 11, or recent immigrants to the United States from China. Classes were conducted in Spanish, English, and Mandarin/ Cantonese. An 11-item Knowledge of Alzheimer's Disease instrument was developed for the purposes of this project and administered before and after the dementia training and at 3 months following graduation. All groups, regardless of language, showed a significant increase in knowledge of Alzheimer's disease at the conclusion of the training and retention of this knowledge at 3 months follow-up. Age was strongly correlated with an increase in knowledge, while gender and education were not.

Age-Tastic! An Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Intervention for Older Adults.

Background: Raising awareness of holistic health and safety among older adults is critical to enhancing their wellbeing in many cases, improving health outcomes and motivating positive behavioral changes. Age-Tastic! is a comprehensive health and safety promotion intervention that uses the concept of a competitive board game to entice older adults to participate and stay engaged. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of Age-Tastic! on the level of awareness, health literacy, self-efficacy and positive behavioral change among the participants. Methods: A randomized control trial was conducted with 98 older adults assigned to an experimental and control group. Interviews were conducted at baseline, right after the eight-week intervention ended and again eight weeks after the end of the intervention. Results: The results showed significant increases among experimental group participants in knowledge about health, self-efficacy and behavioral change in the areas of nutrition, financial exploitation, health literacy and emotional well-being. Discussion: Implications for replication and engagement are discussed.

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Elder Abuse and Neglect in the Community: A Population-Based Study.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate past-year prevalence and identify risk and protective factors of elder emotional abuse, physical abuse, and neglect. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, population-based study using random-digit-dial sampling and direct telephone interviews. SETTING: New York State households. PARTICIPANTS: Representative (race, ethnicity, sex) sample (N = 4,156) of English- or Spanish-speaking, community-dwelling, cognitively intact individuals aged 60 and older. MEASUREMENTS: The Conflict Tactics Scale was adapted to assess elder emotional and physical abuse. Elder neglect was evaluated according to failure of a responsible caregiver to meet an older adult's needs using the Duke Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) scale. Caseness thresholds were based on mistreatment behavior frequencies and elder perceptions of problem seriousness. RESULTS: Past-year prevalence of elder emotional abuse was 1.9%, of physical abuse was 1.8%, and of neglect was 1.8%, with an aggregate prevalence of 4.6%. Emotional and physical abuse were associated with being separated or divorced, living in a lower-income household, functional impairment, and younger age. Neglect was associated with poor health, being separated or divorced, living below the poverty line, and younger age. Neglect was less likely in older adults of Hispanic ethnicity. CONCLUSION: Elder abuse and neglect are common problems, with divergent risk and protective factor profiles. These findings have direct implications for public screening and education and awareness efforts designed to prevent elder mistreatment.

Effects of dependency on compliance rates among elder abuse victims at the New York City Department for the aging, elderly crime victim's unit.

A study was conducted at the New York City Department for the Aging Elderly Crime Victim's Unit (ECVU) to examine the relationship between dependency and compliance rates. Dependency was defined by the total score for each case on the Victim Dependency Scale and Abuser Dependency Scale. Compliance was defined as the act of accepting a referral and compliance rates were determined by counting the total number of referrals the victim accepted. Findings indicated that the only factor associated with compliance rates was if the abuser had a mental illness/substance abuse problem. If the abuser did have this problem, the victim was significantly more likely to accept a referral for services as compared to victims whose abusers did not have a mental illness/substance abuse problem (t=-2.774, df=36.899, p<.01). The authors offer explanations as to why this research was important and the implications it has on future research.