Elder abuse is a serious and often hidden problem. It can take many forms, including physical and psychological abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and sexual abuse. Hospitals, and emergency departments in particular, provide an important opportunity to recognize signs of elder abuse at an early stage.
This dissertation focused on improving the recognition and management of elder abuse within (acute) hospital care. To achieve this, physical signs of elder abuse were identified, the ERASE tool was developed, and a multidisciplinary care pathway was implemented.
The ERASE tool supports healthcare professionals in recognizing and documenting possible signs of elder abuse in a structured way. In addition, ERASE raises awareness of elder abuse and has been shown to be both feasible and acceptable for use in daily hospital practice. The multidisciplinary care pathway developed alongside ERASE promotes collaboration and communication between professionals and supports the development of a person-centered care plan.
Together, these results provide practical guidance for improving the recognition of elder abuse and supporting a more integrated approach within (acute) hospital care.
About the PhD candidate
Miriam E. van Houten (Amsterdam, 1975) studied Medicine at the University of Amsterdam and worked for many years as a geriatrician. Driven by her special interest in elder abuse, she contributed to national guidelines and educational initiatives in this field and chaired the development of the Dutch Society of Geriatrics (NVKG) guideline Suspicion of Elder Abuse in Specialist Medical Care. In 2021, she started her PhD research on elder abuse. She currently works as a teacher and physician in social medicine at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the Netherlands.