How Digital Health Technology Can Combat Elder Abuse

How Digital Health Technology Can Combat Elder Abuse

One of the most difficult types of abuse to identify has always been elder abuse. This is the most segregated segment of the population, as many people are no longer as mobile as they used to be. So many seniors no longer drive or develop mobility issues that prevent them from venturing out in public. For whatever reason, they are not as social as the rest of the population, so identifying elder abuse becomes extremely difficult. However, thanks to digital health technology, new innovations are now available to help older adults learn to recognize abuse while providing them with a way to self-report victimization.

Why Seniors Don’t Report Abuse

There is a common denominator among older adults that prevents them from reporting abuse. This is usually because they don’t really understand what elder abuse is, but mostly because they fear further abuse or being sent to a nursing home if they live with their adult children. Many seniors are eligible for personal injury compensation resulting from physical or mental abuse.

It is not always family members who are abusive, although they are often the abusers. Sometimes family health care workers accompany adult family members when they go to work, or neighbors come to visit them. Having said that, many older adults just don’t understand what elder abuse is, so when it’s pointed at them, they accept it!

If you suspect elder abuse, contact an attorney who specializes in elder abuse-related personal injury cases, such as Matt Dolman.

Yale Technology developed a new tool called VOICES and tested it in partnership with the St. Louis Emergency Department. The Rafael Campus of Yale University New Haven Hospital. The initial trial had 56 participants who were able to make recommendations before the self-report technique was finally released. Some found social isolation to be a major concern, while others argued that larger fonts were needed due to vision loss in many other places. Overall, VOICES was well received by these older participants.

What exactly is sound?

VOICES, a program developed at Yale University, is the “virtual coach in production informed choice exist elder to abuse self disclosureVOICES is a computer tool that teaches elsewhere exactly what constitutes abuse and how to self-disclose instances they fear will fall into those categories. The tool aims to give healthcare providers a way to measure abuse in older patients .

VOICES could also provide better statistics on various forms of elder abuse so that lawmakers and doctors alike can better serve this often underserved population. This could be the first step beyond any sanitation technology we’ve seen before. If it prevents even a portion of the abuse our older population suffers, that would be an amazing step in the right direction.

Source link