Abstract: Empowering Older Adults to Recognize and Respond to Elder Abuse, Neglect and Mistreatment through Peer Support: Results from a Community Outreach Project (Society for Social Work and Research 27th Annual Conference - Social Work Science and Complex Problems: Battling Inequities + Building Solutions)
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64P Empowering Older Adults to Recognize and Respond to Elder Abuse, Neglect and Mistreatment through Peer Support: Results from a Community Outreach Project

Schedule:
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Phoenix C, 3rd Level (Sheraton Phoenix Downtown)
* noted as presenting author
Jessica Hsieh, MSW, PhD Student, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Sharon Tan, MPH, Research Officer, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Pang Celeste, PhD, Senior Research Officer, Egale, Toronto, ON, Canada
Raza Mirza, PhD, Senior Research Associate, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Christopher Klinger, PhD, Research Associate, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Background: Elder mistreatment, often understood in the context of abuse and neglect, is a growing concern for the health and wellbeing of seniors and their families. A 2015 Canadian prevalence study by the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly (NICE) found that seniors who are mistreated are more likely to talk to peers, and not clinicians, police or family. However, a lack of knowledge, access to resources, and community stigma may limit seniors’ abilities to address mistreatment.

Methods: This study evaluated the impact on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of having seniors deliver workshops on mistreatment to other seniors. A seniors advisory committee developed content for sixteen workshops. Senior facilitators delivered sixteen workshops about mistreatment across Ontario. Participants completed pre/post-surveys assessing changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours.

Results: Results indicate that workshops effectively increased awareness of mistreatment issues among participants, on average, by 37.32%. Participants experienced a 43.98% increase in their perceived preparation to provide information to an older adult asking about mistreatment. Barriers to help-seeking among seniors with knowledge of mistreatment include finding trustworthy sources and a lack of legal protection. Prior to the training, healthcare providers were the main sources of information for participants (57.75%); depending on the severity of the situation, 60.43% of participants indicated eventually reporting to police, who are not the preferred source of information.

Conclusions and Implications: Senior-led workshops about mistreatment appear to be effective for increasing knowledge and encouraging disclosure and help-seeking behaviours. Results support prevention models that empower seniors to educate other seniors on issues around mistreatment.

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