Elder Abuse and Neglect: A Case-based Guide for Health Care and Elder Justice Professionals

Cases of elder abuse and neglect are challenging, complex and dangerous. Health care practitioners are regularly faced with these cases but are often unable and untrained to adequately respond. Practitioners are typically working in silos without the support of a team. This book will assist health care practitioners, medical trainees, Geriatrics fellows, social workers, nurses and other professionals find the next best steps in approaching these difficult cases through the lens of experts in the field.

This book is presented in a case-based format, with each case emphasizing the importance of a team approach and highlighting the contributions of multiple disciplines in the final case formulation. Each chapter focuses on a particular case report of a specific type of abuse followed by an evidence-based background section on that subject. Several authors with varied expertise relevant to the case provide their perspective on the case (psychiatry, medicine, social work, legal, law enforcement, government policy, victim advocates, etc.). At the end of each presented case are several take-aways for professionals.

The field of Elder Abuse has realized that the team approach is crucial to successfully resolving cases, and multidisciplinary teams are being funded throughout the country toward that end. The lessons learned from these teams with suggested approaches to client-centered services are shared in this book. This book is unique in its case-based format and contributions of multiple experts in the field describing their unique perspective.

Veronica LoFaso, MA, MD

Associate Professor Emeritus at Weill Cornell Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.

Lisa Rachmuth, LMSW

Executive Director, Center for Elder Abuse Solutions at Weill Cornell Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.