Elder Abuse and Neglect
Elder mistreatment is increasingly recognized as a public health crisis and represents a critical social work problem. This course will cover the major types of elder mistreatment including emotional, physical and sexual abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect, which occur in both community or long-term care institutional settings. Students will learn how to conceptualize elder abuse/neglect and become familiar with key theoretical underpinnings. They will learn basic elder abuse/neglect knowledge such as problem scope, risk factors, and consequences. We will consider elder mistreatment from diverse cultural perspectives and integrate dynamics related to age, gender, ability, and socio-economic status to understand this complex problem. Students will learn about elder abuse/neglect case investigation, assessment, safety planning and intervention, as well as gain an understanding of how cases are currently handled in the Canadian context.