AOTA

Faculty: 

Molly G. Dunn, OTD, OTR

Course Credit: Earn .1 AOTA CEU (1 contact hour/1.25 NBCOT PDU)

Description: 

This course will assist OT practitioners and fieldwork students in their abilities to identify, address, and report elder abuse. In the U.S, 1 in 5 adults over the age of 60 have experienced elder abuse. However, it is estimated that only 1 in 24 of elder abuse cases are reported by healthcare professionals, largely resulting from a lack of knowledge about the signs and symptoms of abuse, as well as state and organizational policies for reporting abuse. This course will provide an education on basic concepts of elder abuse including prevalence, types of abuse, signs and symptoms, risk and protective factors, characteristics of individuals that commit abuse, and social determinants of health related to elder abuse. It will also cover OT practitioners' unique positioning to report abuse as well as a practical series of steps to address and report the abuse.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the learner will be able to:

• Recall risk, protective factors, signs and symptoms for elder abuse.
• Describe state policy for elder abuse.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify, report, and address elder abuse through a case study.

Domain of OT: Professional issues; reporting elder abuse

Level of Difficulty: Introductory

Audience: Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students