New York University College of Nursings (NYUCN) Dean Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, NYUCN co-investigator Sheryl Strasser, PhD, MPH, MSW, and co-investigator Stefanie Russell, DDS, PhD, from NYU College of Dentistry (NYUCD), have received a two-year $346,569 grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to study elder mistreatment.
In the study, Primary Care Clinics for Estimating the Prevalence and Incidence of Elder Mistreatment, researchers will conduct screenings for elder mistreatment among older adults who visit their doctors at five primary care clinics. The aim is to estimate the prevalence of elder mistreatment in a large urban sample of community-dwelling elderly persons; estimate the six-month incidence of elder mistreatment among these patients; and compare a standardized, valid, reliable instrument used for screening for elder abuse with a newly developed instrument.
Elder Mistreatment (EM) is a potentially fatal public health problem that causes human suffering and preventable morbidity and mortality. Infected pressure ulcers, urine burns, fractures, depression, and death are examples of the horrific outcomes of EM.
Consistent with the mission of NIA, we intend to improve the health and well-being of older adults by detecting and treating EM, said Dean Fulmer. The goal of this 2-year study is to enroll older adults who visit their doctors at 5 primary care clinics for EM.
Study participants will be approached and screened for eligibility by research staff in the designated primary care clinics. Eligible persons will be age 65 or older, able to speak and understand English, Spanish, or Mandarin, and have a paid or unpaid caregiver at least two hours per week. Follow-up will be conducted via telephone interviews and an in-clinic follow-up interview after six months.
All study participants will complete a series of well-established EM studies questionnaires. In this study, participants visiting Rusk, Tisch, Bellevue, and the Hospital for Joint Diseases (HJD) will complete several surveys designed to identify factors related to EM, and will undergo a screening for EM.
The goal of this project is to establish the feasibility of EM screening in primary care settings. The new EM screening model will incorporate an EM assessment during the patient visit, administered by trained clinician screeners at baseline and 6 month follow-up using multiple instruments, which allow for: 1) the estimation of prevalence of EM among community-elderly persons; 2) estimation of the incidence of EM, and 3) comparison of assessment methodologies.