Planning a Family-Focused Approach to Prevent Elder Mistreatment

The University of Southern California (USC) proposes to develop a novel elder mistreatment intervention, the Strenghts-based Training on Prevention of Elder Mistreatment (STOP EM). This program builds on lessons learned from preventing other forms of family violence, including child maltreatment and intimate partner violence. Partnering with health professionals, USC researchers will offer the opportunity to participate to adults aged 65 and older at risk of Elder Mistreatment because of health care transitions and changing health care needs. The current proposal is for the first of three phases of a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). In this initial 18-month phase, USC will work in collaboration with the NIJ, a primary health plan partner (Kaiser), and other stakeholders to fully plan the STOP EM program. Following the completion of this initial 18-month planning period, a pilot phase will be proposed. Upon completion of the pilot phase, a multi-year demonstration of the STOP EM intervention program will be considered to allow for a full assessment of its efficacy. ca/ncf