Forensic Aspects of Elder Abuse - Panel at the 2010 NIJ Conference

• NCJ Number: 234759
• Author(s): Carrie Mulford; Aileen Wiglesworth; Solomon Liao; Susan Chasson
• Date Published: June 2010
• Length: 11 pages
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Presentation (Multimedia); Conference Material

Annotation

This audio and its transcript cover three presentations for a panel on the "Forensic Aspects of Elder Abuse," which was part of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 2010 Conference.

Abstract

Two presenters - one a geriatrician and the other a gerontologist - teach at the School of Medicine at the University of California at Irvine, and both are involved in elder abuse research. Aileen Wiglesworth discusses the design and methods of human subjects research, with attention to elderly subjects with dementia. Measures of emotional memory are discussed as part of testing the memory capabilities of persons with dementia. Solomon Liao discusses the features of a multi-site study that examined pressure ulcers in long-term care facilities considered to be models of best practices. Pressure ulcers can be a marker of elder abuse, especially in the extreme form. The rationale for the study was to determine the parameters for these ulcers in best-care settings, so as to set a normal range beyond which pressure ulcers can be considered abnormal or pathological. The third presenter on the panel is Susan Chasson - the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) coordinator for the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She discusses the role of SANE nurses in collecting and interpreting evidence of physical abuse of elderly patients being treated for various types of injuries. This involves a transfer of knowledge and experience gained in examinations of sexual assault injuries to an examination of injuries inflicted in other types of abuse that involve elderly patients.