Project 462798

Elder abuse in the nursing home setting is a cause of growing concern but little is known about how often is occurs. Studies of elder abuse detection have largely ignored nursing home seniors because screening tests had not been published that were suitable for people living in this setting. In 2019, our team published the results of the our adaptation of the Elder Abuse Suspicion Index (EASI) that would be appropriate for use in the nursing home, or long-term care (LTC) setting (the EASI-ltc). The purpose of this project is to evaluate whether the EASI-ltc is feasible and valid to use and whether its use is acceptable to nursing home staff, and to residents and their families. Our study will take place in 7 long term care nursing homes and 2 intermediary care homes in Montreal, Quebec that represent both English and French-speaking communities. Since the EASI-ltc was designed to raise suspicion of abuse that would initiate an investigation by trained personnel, all participating residents will subsequently undergo a follow-up assessment led by a trained social worker with experience working in the nursing home setting. Finally, we will ask administrators, managers and staff as well as residents, their families and friends to give us their feedback. The EASI-ltc is the first published tool to detect elder abuse in this vulnerable population. While the problem of elder abuse among the institutionalized elderly has long been recognized as an urgent issue, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the needs and rights of older adults living in nursing homes to the forefront. This proposed study, therefore, responds to an urgent need to identify abuse and gives a voice to Canadian nursing home residents.