Practitioner Empowerment, Older Adult Mistreatment, and Dementia

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Social Work
• Healthcare Policy

Background:

• Practitioner disempowerment in older adult mistreatment cases is under-researched.
• Dementia and contextual factors add complexity to mistreatment cases, with limited understanding of practitioner experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the experiences of healthcare and social service practitioners dealing with mistreated older adults, particularly those with dementia.
• To identify needs for practitioner empowerment, legal clarity, and infrastructure development.

Main Methods:

• Critical inquiry utilizing Critical social theory, critical consciousness, and professional agency.
• Data collected through interviews, journals, and focus groups with 51 practitioners in Northeastern Ontario.

Main Results:

• Identified a need for practitioner empowerment to break cycles of non-resolution.
• Highlighted the necessity of shifting focus from legal complexity and education to legal clarity and intervention.
• Emphasized the requirement for adequate infrastructure to support interprofessional collaboration.

Conclusions:

• Empowering practitioners is crucial for effectively addressing older adult mistreatment, especially in complex dementia cases.
• Policy, practice, and research should prioritize legal clarity, intervention strategies, and robust interprofessional support systems.
• Improving practitioner support can enhance outcomes for mistreated older adults with dementia living at home.