Elder Abuse: Cultural Contexts and Implications
Course #77824 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, it is estimated that 1 in 10 Americans older than 60 years of age has been the victim of abuse. There are some studies that indicate that women are more likely than men to be victims of elder abuse. Other demographic factors that contribute to risk include unmarried status and non-white ethnic origin. Consequently, practitioners will need to become more culturally aware and sensitive to the cultural norms, belief systems, and needs of culturally diverse patients in order to provide culturally relevant services and interventions for this population. There has been a growing interest in the perceptions of elder abuse among ethnic minority populations. This reflects a recognition that culture, race, and ethnicity can influence what constitutes elder abuse, particularly because definitions of elder abuse reflect a white, middle-class perspective. This course will outline the impact of culture, race, and ethnicity on elder abuse and help seeking patters for abuse and provide tools for identifying and intervening in cases of elder abuse.
- HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
- DEFINITIONS OF ELDER ABUSE AND CONTROVERSIES
- CULTURE, RACE, AND ETHNICITY AND ELDER ABUSE
- ASSESSMENTS, INTERVENTIONS, AND MANDATORY REPORTING LAWS FOR ELDER ABUSE
- RESOURCES FOR PRACTITIONERS WORKING WITH THE ELDERLY AND ABUSE VICTIMS
- Works Cited
- Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations Citations
This course is targeted to counselors, therapists, social workers and other mental health professionals who may identify and intervene in cases of elder abuse.
The purpose of this course is to increase the knowledge base of social workers, counselors, therapists, and other professionals about elder abuse, assessment, and intervention. This curriculum will focus on abuse against elders in domestic settings perpetrated by family members.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Summarize the historical context and scope of elder abuse.
- Define elder abuse and the different forms of elder abuse.
- Identify the general profile of the elder abuse victim.
- Analyze the different classifications of perpetrators of elder abuse.
- Discuss the various theoretical models to help explain the causes of elder abuse in domestic settings.
- Explain how culture, race, and ethnicity color views about family and aging and definitions of and attitudes toward elder abuse and help seeking.
- Discuss assessments for elder abuse victims.
- Describe general mandatory laws for and ethical issues associated with elder abuse, including the role of interprofessional collaboration.
Alice Yick Flanagan, PhD, MSW, received her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University, School of Social Work. She has clinical experience in mental health in correctional settings, psychiatric hospitals, and community health centers. In 1997, she received her PhD from UCLA, School of Public Policy and Social Research. Dr. Yick Flanagan completed a year-long post-doctoral fellowship at Hunter College, School of Social Work in 1999. In that year she taught the course Research Methods and Violence Against Women to Masters degree students, as well as conducting qualitative research studies on death and dying in Chinese American families.
Previously acting as a faculty member at Capella University and Northcentral University, Dr. Yick Flanagan is currently a contributing faculty member at Walden University, School of Social Work, and a dissertation chair at Grand Canyon University, College of Doctoral Studies, working with Industrial Organizational Psychology doctoral students. She also serves as a consultant/subject matter expert for the New York City Board of Education and publishing companies for online curriculum development, developing practice MCAT questions in the area of psychology and sociology. Her research focus is on the area of culture and mental health in ethnic minority communities.
Contributing faculty, Alice Yick Flanagan, PhD, MSW, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.