Developing an Elder Abuse Case Review Multidisciplinary Team in Your Community

• NCJ Number: 250736
• Author(s): Shelly L. Jackson
• Date Published: May 2017
• Length: 4 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2012-VF-GX-K0003
• Agencies: OVC-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Technical Assistance; Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Grant Sponsored); Instructional Material (Programmed)

Annotation

This guide, which is intended to encourage and facilitate the development of elder abuse case review multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), presents information on MDT structures and functions and identifies and addresses challenges in developing a case review MDT.

Abstract

Increased attention to elder abuse has exposed system failures. MDTs were developed to address many of these failures. There is no one model for an MDT that will be effective in all communities. Its size and structure should reflect the needs and resources of the community it serves. An MDT is defined as a group composed of people with expertise in three or more disciplines who work collaboratively to perform a common mission that requires the knowledge and resources of the disciplines and organizations they represent. The guide focuses on the work of an MDT that performs elder abuse case review. Elder abuse encompasses the neglect, abandonment, or financial exploitation of an older person by another person or entity in any setting. The rationale underlying the development of an MDT for elder abuse cases is that complex cases require a complex response, and no one agency can address all the needs (physical, emotional, intellectual, familial, interpersonal, financial, social, cultural, and spiritual) of an older victim. The specific issues addressed in this guide include planning a needs assessment, choosing an MDT model, and defining the MDT's purpose. Also discussed are ethical and legal considerations, meeting community needs, selecting team members, the role of the MDT coordinator, professional development, and developing a meeting structure for optimal case review and followup.