Bringing advances in elder abuse research methodology and theory to evaluation of interventions

Lachs et al, 2021

For a much needed read on the necessity for more rigorous evaluation on elder abuse interventions, Lachs et al, 2021 article sets out a strong proposition for evaluating elder abuse interventions across Australian communities.

Background

According to Lack et al, 2021, across current research, there remains limitations in high-quality intervention strategies in combating issues relating to elder abuse. Existing knowledge in measuring elder abuse, ageism, and elder abuse methodology, may have the capacity to remedy this gap, yet have not been applied to the broader community.

Their article proposes that given the wealth of existing literature in elder abuse, it is now timely to consider rigorous evaluations of community interventions, including biomedical clinical trials, the cost effectiveness of elder abuse interventions, and interventions that are inclusive of psycho-social frameworks. Such evidence can further inform practice across a range of community settings, from community dwelling older people to those living in residential aged care.

The authors posit that suboptimal evaluation of elder abuse interventions is concerning for numerous reasons, most obvious is that some may simply not work and have the potential to do more harm than good at an excessive cost.

To access Lachs et al., 2021 article, please click here.