Course Description
The older adult population, or elderly, is comprised of those over 60 years of age. This age group is growing faster than any other age group. The current global population is aging with an estimated 900 million people 60 and older. According to the World Health Organization, or WHO, the world’s population of people aged 60 and older will reach an estimated 2.1 billion by 2050. In 2018, there were over 52 million adults over age 60, with anticipated estimates climbing over 80 million by the year 2040. That is nearly 20% of the total U.S. population.
With an aging population comes the risk for elder abuse. Elder abuse is considered a violation of human rights. It is estimated that injuries related to elder abuse cost more than 5.3 billion dollars annually in the U.S. and financial abuse of the elderly costs over 2.6 billion dollars annually. This makes elder abuse not only a concern for the well-being of the aging population, but a critical economic concern as well. This course will look at elder abuse and current definitions, as well as laws that have been passed to help protect the elderly and prevent elder abuse. The course will also look at factors that put elders at risk for abuse and will look at methods to help prevent elder abuse.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the course, the learner will be able to:
- Define elder abuse
- Review the types of elder abuse
- Describe symptoms of elder abuse
- Explore the risk factors for elder abuse
- Examine methods that may help prevent elder abuse
Intended Audience
This educational activity was developed for healthcare assistants and administrators.
CE Information
This educational offering has been reviewed by the National Continuing Education Review Service (NCERS) of the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) and approved for 0.5 clock hours. Valid for Nursing Home Administrator CE.
Course Authors
This course was developed by Erika Probst, RNC, MSN and edited by Brenda Kozak, MSN, RN, CNE.
Erika Probst has 16 years of clinical experience in the in-patient setting and has her Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on education.
Brenda is a certified nursed educator and has 18 years of clinical experience in nursing. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on education.