Research involving Southern patients has the potential to improve detection of abuse of older persons globally.
Health NZ Southern consultant psychogeriatrician Dr Yoram Barak and his research team have just been awarded The Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age Prize for Best Mental Health Service Improvement by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
Understanding the cause of how abuse of older persons happens is complex, but the sad reality is that cases of it are rising in New Zealand, Dr Barak says.
Three years ago, his team comprising of Mental Health Service Older Persons, Age Concern Otago and the Dunedin School of Medicine stakeholders - started to evaluate the existing interRAI Assessment to question whether it was robust enough in detecting cases of victim abuse.
It is a lengthy clinical assessment undertaken by trained interviewers (usually registered nurses of social workers) when an older person may need care.
Despite having 16 variables in the assessment that may indicate a person is at high risk of abuse, often the interviewers are “unable” to rule out abuse despite them having a gut feeling that something was amiss.
Older Adult Abuse is hard to detect as people are afraid to acknowledge it, and 74 percent of perpetrators are by a close family member, Dr Barak says.
Working with University of Otago Professors Robin Turner and Paul Glue they were able to show if they changed the way that the interviewer is scoring 16 variables within the existing interRAI assessment that are important to identify abuse, it would perform better.
“The work we are doing is something that is bigger than New Zealand. This is something can improve the lives of all adults globally as the interRAI Assessment is used by 35 countries.”
Dr Barak’s team was recently awarded a Ministry of Social Development grant and with the data they have, they will analyse the 16 variables closer to see if an ultra-short brief screening tool can be developed for adult abuse.
It is hoped once the tool is developed it can be used in hospital Emergency Departments and by General Practitioners.
“Abuse of older persons needs to be screened for because it is happening and it is a huge problem,” Dr Barak says.
