Mrs Merin Paul1
1Fiona Stanley Hospital, MURDOCH, Social Work Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, 11 Robin Warren Dr
Abstract:
Hospital admissions provide the opportunity to identify and respond to elder abuse concerns experienced by older people with dementia. Hospital social workers often attempt to link patients to several advocacy and support services available for people who proceed with reporting elder abuse and ongoing government and non-government agency support in the community post-discharge. However, social workers often face several challenges in conducting elder abuse assessments and intervening effectively. These include the lack of a comprehensive tool for elder abuse assessments in hospitals, lack of evidence requirements for guardianship applications and police reports, and the ethical dilemma due to the conflicts between patient self-determination and the hospital’s duty of care.
Older people with dementia who are deemed to have capacity may disclose financial, psychological, emotional, and physical abuse to social workers but feel unable to take any further action due to fear of losing the only support that enables their independence, especially when the alleged abuser is the carer/family member. For others who do not have capacity, social workers are unable to initiate an application for Guardianship and Administrative orders due to lack of evidence of abuse.
Using composite case studies, this presentation outlines the challenges faced by social workers in identifying pathways for when older people with dementia report abuse in a tertiary hospital in Western Australia. A call is made for comprehensive assessment tools for elder abuse, mandatory legal reporting and clearer referral pathways for community follow-up.