Ensuring specialty nurse competence to care for older adults: reflections on a decade of collaboration between specialty nursing associations and the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing.

Geriatric preparation of specialty nurses is critical because their direct care and administrative responsibilities profoundly impact the care of countless older patients in all settings. For a decade, the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, NYU College of Nursing, has worked with 54 national specialty nursing associations, and intensely with 14, to develop strategies for new standards for quality care for older patients. A successful blueprint for specialty associations to sustain and enhance these outcomes will be presented.

The Archstone Foundation Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative: outcomes and lessons learned in three years from 2006 to 2008.

An independent evaluation of the Archstone Foundation Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative was conducted to identify major outcomes and lessons learned collectively by 20 funded projects, as well as to document innovative program models for dissemination. Data from the first three years of this initiative show these projects have been productive and have had a measurable impact on services for elder abuse and neglect. Major lessons learned address issues in recruiting, engaging, and maintaining active involvement of diverse stakeholders, as well as innovative and effective models of education, training, and direct services for elder abuse and neglect.

Elder abuse forensic centers.

Elder abuse forensic centers present a new model of multidisciplinary collaboration on elder abuse cases. The "clients" of a forensic center are Adult Protective Services (APS), law enforcement, and the Long-term Care Ombudsman. Centers take the basic multidisciplinary team model and add a geriatrician and a psychologist. Additionally, forensic center team members make home visits with APS and others for the purposes of conducting psychological or medical evaluations, lessening the burden of multiple interviews for the alleged abuse victims, and gathering evidence for possible prosecution. The challenges and successes of the four California forensic center teams are discussed.

Vision for 2020.

This article reflects the collective thoughts of the 20 projects supported by the Archstone Foundation Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative on offering a vision for improving the response system for elder abuse and, in turn, the lives of older adults between now and the year 2020. Five key areas were identified as critically important for advancing the field in the next ten years: (a) increased public awareness and shifting public attitudes, (b) improved identification and triage of cases, (c) increased integrated service models, (d) improved justice system response, and (e) leveraging and utilizing emerging and untapped resources. The lessons learned from the experiences of these 20 projects in California can serve as demonstration models for other communities to adopt, adapt, and improve response systems for elder abuse and neglect.