Tipo mais prevalente de abuso aos idosos e sua correlação com depressão do idoso

Giving meaning to internalized violence throughout life by older adults living in rural areas

OBJECTIVES

to understand the meanings of violence internalized throughout life by older adults living in rural areas.

METHODS

a qualitative study, anchored in the Symbolic Interactionism theoretical framework and the Grounded Theory methodological framework in the constructivist aspect. Data collection occurred through individual interviews. Data were coded using the Atlas.ti software.

RESULTS

it was possible to identify that the context of rural areas strengthens patriarchy culture as well as contributing to violence silence and naturalization. It was also found that violence is a product of social inequality and gender inequality.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

older adults living in rural areas internalized the violence suffered in a unique way, and this scenario's specific aspects can increase intra-family abuse, as there is a patriarchal culture that promotes social and gender inequality.

Examining nurses' role in Adult Protective Services related to safeguarding older people

Aim

To examine the role of Adult Protective Services' (APS's) nurses in helping abused, neglected and exploited older people, this study investigated how nurses' contribution differs from social workers. Though the majority of APS' workforce is staffed by social workers, some programmes also employ nurses.

Design

Secondary data analysis using convergent parallel mixed‐method design was conducted.

Methods

Using survey data from the National Adult Protective Services Association, 99 nurses' responses between October 2014 and August 2015 were analysed to examine their agency characteristics, training and qualities, job responsibilities and interprofessional collaboration.

Results

The majority of nurses work with social workers or other professionals using a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach. Among those carrying a caseload, 69% (49 out of 71) of nurses work in conjunction with social workers. Out of all nurses, 64% (63 out of 99) indicated participation in at least one MDT. While the responsibilities nurses provided were similar to social workers, nurses were also able to provide healthcare related services, in their professional competencies, without referral.

Conclusion

Nurses in APS are in a privileged position to investigate mistreatment and provide/coordinate direct care for victims.

Impact

Not much was known about nurses who directly investigate elder mistreatment and provide services to victims. This study was the first to highlight the nursing workforce in APS, and described the nurses' unique contribution to the field. Nurses functioned as both social workers and healthcare professionals in APS. Since victims of elder mistreatment often suffer from negative physical, psychological and social consequences, having nurses in APS benefits victims to receive and the programmes in providing better care and services.