Healthcare Providers - NCALL - The National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life

Health care providers are in a unique position to identify and respond to abuse in later life. Often, many older adults, especially survivors, have an ongoing relationship with one or more health care providers. Primary care physicians, emergency room staff, geriatricians, dentists, physical therapists, and other providers each have an opportunity to see injuries suggesting abuse, neglect, or exploitation, or indicators of trauma.

Selected Resources

This safety card (718 KB) provides guidance to health and community professionals on how to talk to patients about any concerning behavior of those around them and encourages early education about emotional, physical, and financial harassment, abuse and neglect.

It was developed for those patients/clients with agency and capacity in non-crisis, non-emergency situations that provides information about healthy and safe relationships, and the impact of unhealthy relationships on health and wellbeing. Topics include financial, emotional, and physical abuse and exploitation, education and prevention strategies, and information on seeking support.

Domestic Violence in Later Life: An Overview for Health Care Providers

This article (PDF 691 KB) provides an overview of domestic violence in later life and explores ways that physicians and other health care providers can improve their intervention and prevention efforts in abuse in later life cases

Webinars

Responding to Abuse in Later Life: The Role of Forensic Nurses — This webinar was created for multidisciplinary professionals that serve older adults. Attendees of this webinar will be able to explain the role of forensic nurses in the response to violence across the life span, and how to engage forensic nurses in an inter-agency coordinated response to abuse in later life. Featuring: Dr. Kathleen Thimsen, Director of the Doctorate in Nursing Practice Program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Nursing as well as the co-Director of its Community Clinic and Treasurer of the Forensic Nursing Certification Board; and Martie Washington, Abuse in Later Life Program Coordinator at the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL).
Health Care Providers’ Role in Identifying and Responding to Older Victims of Abuse — This webinar discusses signs of elder abuse and neglect and how health care providers can identify and respond to potential older victims. It also describes how victim service providers and other professionals can engage health care providers to work collaboratively with them and how health care providers can play on multidisciplinary case coordination teams.

Other pages in this section

Abuse in Later Life: Virtual Training for Prosecutors

The National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), under a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, is pleased to offer these recorded webinars on abuse in later life for prosecutors. Elder abuse is a...

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Civil Attorneys

Civil attorneys and other civil legal system professionals work each day to ensure victim safety and hold offenders accountable for harm to older survivors. Their knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of elder abuse, as well as the legal remedies and non-litigation resources available to older survivors, are critical in developing effective intervention strategies to end elder abuse and prevent further harm to older adults.

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Crime Victim Services Providers/Advocates and Criminal Justice Systems Stakeholders

Crime victim services providers, advocates, VOCA administrators, and other stakeholders and professionals within the crime victims field need resources and critical information to address the systemic barriers faced by older victims seeking access to healing supports and just outcomes.

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Domestic and Sexual Violence Advocates and Programs

Many older survivors will seek the help of domestic and sexual violence advocates and programs in dealing with the abuse they experience. Older victims can benefit from many of the services traditionally offered by domestic violence and sexual assault programs such as individual and peer counseling, support groups, emergency and transitional housing, and specialized economic and legal advocacy.

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Faith Leaders

Many older Americans turn to their faith communities and faith leaders for help when they are experiencing abuse. Older survivors know and deeply trust faith leaders and community members and often reach out for assistance in times of great need. As a faith leader, you can play a critical role in responding to abuse as well as improving access to services and supports for older survivors in your community.

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Prosecutors

A significant number of reported cases of elder abuse do not progress through the criminal justice system. Whether an elder abuse case is successfully prosecuted may depend on a prosecuting attorney’s familiarity with effective investigation and prosecution strategies. Further, prosecutors must be able to collaborate across disciplines to increase victim identification, to encourage victims to engage with the criminal system, and to ultimately hold more offenders accountable.

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Law Enforcement

As first responders, law enforcement officers can play a key role in providing an effective response to abuse in later life at the local level. In many cases, law enforcement can use tools already used in domestic violence, stalking, child abuse, and sexual abuse cases to interview victims and gather evidence. Officers can also benefit from learning about abuse in later life and abuse dynamics; appropriate referral resources for intervention and support for older victims; and working collaboratively with other organizations.

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Professionals Working in Tribal Communities

In many cultures, elders preserve traditions and share wisdom to help ensure community permanency and balance. Indigenous communities often hold elders in a unique and important social position. The dramatic increase in the number of older individuals has led to concern over the well-being of older adults in these communities.

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