Background: Adults over 60 years of age in the United States are increasing in total percentage of the population and will continue to do so as each wave of the post-war, baby-boom generation enters older adulthood. Though elder mistreatment (EM) has undoubtedly been a public health problem for years, only recently has it been recognized as such. Violence prevention programs that focus on EM are needed to curb this rising epidemic. One such program, the At-Risk Adult Crime Tactics (ACT) Certification Training, is an at-risk, adult (elderly or disabled adults) prevention program designed to increase professional awareness of this population and equip primary and secondary responders (all mandated reporters) with the knowledge and skills to address the needs of Georgia’s at-risk adult crime victims. Methodology: In order to assess the effectiveness of the ACT training, an invitation was emailed to 482 individuals who had previously completed the ACT Certification Training, inviting them to complete an (approximately) 20 minute, 41-question, online survey. Data analyses were performed to determine if these various professionals had, post ACT training, increased knowledge regarding at-risk adult abuse, increased interagency collaboration, changed management of cases involving at-risk adults, and felt that workshop topics presented during training were helpful in their profession. The survey also collected information on seven demographic indicators, and correlation analyses were run to determine their influence on survey responses. A p-value of < .05 was used to determine statistical significance of the analyses performed. Results: Of the 482 professionals surveyed, 176 surveys were used for this research (a response rate of slightly over thirty-six percent). Results show that, post ACT training, respondents’ reported significantly increased levels of knowledge regarding all at-risk abuse topics, significantly increased interagency collaboration across all included agencies, significant change in case management of at-risk adults, significant levels of helpfulness on all workshop topics presented during ACT training. Furthermore, demographic analyses found significant negative correlations between extent of change in case management of at-risk adults and the demographic indicators of education and age. Also, a positive correlation was found between reported level of helpfulness on one workshop topic (community resources) and the service area of respondents. Conclusions: Though the results of this survey are quite positive, more surveys need to be conducted on future classes of ACT training graduates to determine the validity of this study’s results. Moreover, in order to truly substantiate claims that ACT training prevents EM and other at-risk adult abuse, research must be conducted to document the link between this prevention program and improvements in EM outcomes.

Abstract Background: The aging population is a rapidly growing demographic. Isolation and limited autonomy render many of the elderly vulnerable to abuse, neglect and exploitation. As the population grows, so does the need for Adult Protective Services (APS). This study was conducted to examine current knowledge of Georgia older adult protection laws and to identify training opportunities to better prepare the APS workforce in cases detection and intervention. Methods: A primary survey was developed in partnership with the Georgia Division of Aging Services’ leadership to identify key training priority issues APS caseworkers and investigators. A 47-item, electronic questionnaire was delivered (using Psychdata) to all APS employees via work- issued email accounts. Descriptive analyses, t-tests, and chi-square analyses were used to determine APS employees’ baseline knowledge of Georgia’s elder abuse policies, laws, and practices as well as examine associations of age, ethnicity, and formal education level with knowledge. A p-value of <0 >.05 and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine statistical significance of the analyses performed. Results: In total, 92 out of 175 APS staff responded to the survey (53% response rate). The majority of respondents were Caucasian (56%) women (92%). For over half the survey items, a paired sample t-tests revealed significant differences between what APS staff reported as known and what APS staff members indicated they needed to know more about in terms of elder abuse and current policies. Chi-square tests revealed that non-Caucasians significantly preferred video conferencing as a training format (44% compared to 18%), [χ2 (1) = 7.102, p < .008] whereas Caucasians preferred asynchronous online learning formats (55% compared to 28%) [χ2 (1) =5.951, p < .015]. Conclusions: Results from this study provides the Georgia Division of Aging with insights into specific content areas that can be emphasized in future trainings. Soliciting input from intended trainees allows public health educators to tailor and improve training sessions. Trainee input may result in optimization of attendance, knowledge acquisition, and intervention practices regarding APS service delivery. This in turn can enhance APS staff efficiency and response to cases of violence against older adults.

Lack of elder abuse awareness and underreporting is an increasing problem in the United States in that only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse is reported. The failure to report incidents of elder abuse and suspected elder abuse allows further abuse of elders and for elder abusers to go unpunished. The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to understand the relationship between race, gender, and elder abuse awareness and fill the gap in elder abuse literature. Research questions tested mean differences between race and gender, respectively, and elder abuse awareness. The theoretical frameworks for this study were the social cognitive theory, self-perception theory, and Dunning Kruger Effect. The study included a convenience sample of 75 federal corrections retirees with diverse educational and professional backgrounds living in the United States. Data were collected using an online survey that ascertained the respondents' attitudes toward elder abuse and knowledge of elder abuse laws. Independent samples t tests were performed to test the mean differences of elder abuse awareness between different races and genders. Results of the study revealed African Americans have a statistically significant higher mean than Caucasians. However, there was not a statistically significant mean difference between males and females, respectively, and elder abuse awareness. The implications for social change include aiding public and private sector elder abuse prevention advocates adopt programs and policies that will increase elder abuse awareness campaigns, increase elder abuse reporting behavior of different races and genders, and prevent deaths resulting from a lack of elder abuse awareness.

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