RT Article
T1 Elder Mistreatment Victims during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Administrative Data from San Francisco Adult Protective Services
JF Journal of family violence
VO 37
IS 7
SP 1027
OP 1040
A1 Liu, Pi-Ju
A2 Wang, Aining
A2 Schwab-Reese, Laura M.
A2 Stratton, Sara K.
LA English
YR 2022
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/181639193X
AB This study examined elder mistreatment victims’ experiences at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on their COVID-19 awareness and unmet needs. San Francisco Adult Protective Services (APS) caseworkers conducted phone interviews with clients or collaterals (client’s family, trusted other, or service provider) to inquire about clients’ awareness of COVID-19 and unmet needs. Nine-hundred-and-thirty-four (71%) of 1,313 APS’ past clients or their collaterals were interviewed, with 741 (79%) responding positively to COVID-19-awareness questions, and 697 (75%) having no unmet needs. Binary logistic regression with Firth adjusted maximum likelihood estimation method revealed that older persons (p < .05), self-neglectors (p < .05), and victims of neglect (p < .05) were less aware of COVID-19. Unmet needs varied by mistreatment type. Victims of isolation were more likely to have medical needs (p < .05), while victims of emotional abuse were more likely to report loneliness (p < .001). Case notes reflected clients who were well-prepared for the pandemic, versus those who required additional assistance to follow preventative measures of the COVID-19 pandemic to stay home. Although the majority of San Francisco APS’ past clients experienced no unmet needs at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prolonged length and intensity of the pandemic could have exacerbated this vulnerable group’s situation. Collaboration between service providers is key in assisting victims experiencing unmet needs to live safely in a public health crisis, especially underserved victims of specific ethnic backgrounds.
K1 Caregiving
K1 Loneliness
K1 Unmet need
K1 Self-neglect
K1 Exploitation
K1 Neglect
K1 Abuse
K1 Elder mistreatment
DO 10.1007/s10896-021-00305-1