Question

You don't terminate it, you explore the situation further and notify the authorities. Nurses are mandated reporters. Safety precautions would include asking the victim if he/she wants to go to a shelter or another relative's house on discharge. If he/she feels it's necessary to return to the home for immediate safety reasons, you make sure the authorities are notified asap so they can intervene if necessary.

Ditto. Ask open ended questions...and inform the patient that you are a mandated reporter...and that you have to report what you know, and that it will be investigated.

Part of every initial interview we do includes the question"Do you feel safe in your own home/" "Does anyone there cause you harm and in what way?".. Most patients are shocked at the question, but when you get that teary pause, you just know that you need to explore and come back and maybe try a different approach to gain confidence. One of the biggest discussions right now is whether doctors are at fault if their patients are found to be a victim of elder abuse. Most seem to feel that they should recognize not only the physical signs like excessive bruising, falls, etc, but the psychological ones, like looking down, and not answering direct questions. Many physcians reply that the victims are often accompanied by the people who abuse them so it is hard to diagnose. Just remember that mandated reporter.

You don't terminate it, you explore the situation further and notify the authorities. Nurses are mandated reporters. Safety precautions would include asking the victim if he/she wants to go to a shelter or another relative's house on discharge. If he/she feels it's necessary to return to the home for immediate safety reasons, you make sure the authorities are notified asap so they can intervene if necessary.

uhh... what tazzi said!!!

exactly!