Enhancing elder abuse detection for older people living with dementia with a digital intervention
F. Abujarad, C. Edwards, J. Neugroschl, U. Hwang, R. Marottoli
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AbstractAlzheimer’s and other related dementias affect roughly 6 million Americans annually, manifesting with progressive cognitive impairments and inability to perform activities of daily living (Manly et al., 2022). People living with dementia (PLWD) have increased care needs compared to those who do not have dementia (Lacher et al., 2016). This increased vulnerability puts them at a higher risk for elder abuse (EA) (Rogers et al., 2022). Emergency department (ED) settings provide an excellent opportunity to detect EA because of the high utilization of ED among PLWD. However, various challenges persist with traditional screening methods. We designed a tablet-based digital intervention called VOICES to increase detection of EA. Our intervention combines screening, educational resources, multimedia elements, and brief motivational interviewing to encourage older adults to self-report EA. Our previous study in the ED demonstrated VOICES’ feasibility among cognitively intact older adults (N=1,002), but there is limited evidence to support the feasibility of self-administered interventions to detect EA among PLWD.Keywords: elder abuse, screening, dementia technology, mistreatment, digital health
F. Abujarad, C. Edwards, J. Neugroschl, U. Hwang, R. Marottoli (2024). Enhancing elder abuse detection for older people living with dementia with a digital intervention. Gerontechnology, 23(2), 2-2
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2024.23.s.944.2.sp