A Statewide Elder Mistreatment Virtual Assessment Program: Preliminary Data

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Elder mistreatment (EM) poses a significant public health challenge, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
• Access to specialized geriatric and EM expert assessments is often limited for Adult Protective Services (APS) clients.
• Innovative technological solutions are needed to bridge the gap in accessing expert care for mistreated older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Texas Elder Abuse and Mistreatment Institute Forensic Assessment Center Network (TEAM-FACN), a novel statewide virtual assessment program.
• To evaluate the use of low-cost videophone technology and web-based coordination for elder mistreatment assessments.
• To assess the program's effectiveness in connecting APS agencies and clients with a centralized expert medical team.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study of the TEAM-FACN program, a statewide elder mistreatment virtual assessment initiative.
• Utilized low-cost videophone technology and web-based coordination for remote assessments.
• Connected an Adult Protective Services (APS) agency and its clients to a centralized geriatric and EM expert medical team.

Main Results:

• In the first 8 months, 300 APS clients were referred, leading to a quadrupling of client assessments.
• Physicians provided an average of 2 services per client, including 216 mental health assessments (123 virtual), 42 medical assessments, and 45 guardianship filings.
• Over 230 interdisciplinary team meetings were held to discuss findings, safety plans, and interventions.

Conclusions:

• TEAM-FACN offers an innovative and viable model for increasing access to expert geriatric and elder mistreatment assessments for urban and rural adults.
• The program effectively utilizes technology to overcome geographical barriers in providing protective services.
• This approach enhances the capacity to serve vulnerable older adults experiencing mistreatment.