Home

Page 1

To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or document
To embed the entire object, paste this HTML in website To link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or document
To embed this page, paste this HTML in website

Caring for Vulnerable Older Adults: A Collaboration with a Local Law Enforcement Agency

you wish to report:

Your comment:

Your Name:

...

Title of Work	Caring for Vulnerable Older Adults: A Collaboration with a Local Law Enforcement Agency
Author	Erin A. Knadle
Scholarship Group	Doctoral Scholarship
Summary of Work	Background: The number of older adults with complex health needs increasingly outpaces the number of healthcare providers with the knowledge and skills to adequately care for them. From 2005 to 2030, the number of older adults in the United States will nearly double in number, as the 78 million members of the Baby Boomer Generation turn 65 and life expectancy increases. Significance: As America ages, community police officers are increasingly serving as first responders in incidents involving older adults with age-related health issues. Police officers serving as first responders encounter older adults who are in poor health, have complex social and behavioral risk factors, and are frequent users of acute care services. Thus, making the role of police officers invaluable for the care of community-dwelling, vulnerable older adults. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to develop and implement a portable education and reference tool to provide health and social services information to police officers who serve community-dwelling, vulnerable older adults in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study of police officers recruited from the local police department between 2015 and 2016. Inclusion criteria consisted of at least one year of service as a La Crosse Police Officer and employment as a patrol officer. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze 28 self-administered electronic surveys, which included an assessment of attitudes towards older adults using a 14-item adapted Geriatric Attitudes Scale (aGAS). After survey completion, a three-month implementation phase followed with officers utilizing a custom-designed portable education and reference tool in the field. Post-implementation, officers were invited to participate in an open-ended discussion forum to elicit feedback and recommendations. Results: Ninety-six percent of officers reported encountering older adults at least monthly. Police officers demonstrated positive attitudes toward older adults (adapted Geriatrics Attitude Scale score ? 3) which measures compassion toward older adults, perceived social value of older adults, professional satisfaction working with older adults and beliefs about societal distribution of resources for older adults. These findings were similar to those identified in previous work with police officers in an urban metro area. Half of the respondents reported receiving prior training in working with older adults, with the same percentage rating themselves as knowledgeable or very knowledgeable about aging-related issues. All respondents indicated that further professional training in aging-related health issues as important to address the problems they encounter. Clinical Implications: Opportunities exist to collaborate between health and law enforcement professionals to improve responsiveness to health-related and social needs of community-dwelling older adults.
Advisor	Mary H. Haupert
Date of Student Graduation	2016
Date of Work	2016-06
Degree Name	Doctor
Major/Program	Nursing Practice
School	School of Nursing
Type of Material	Text
File Name	2016_dnp_kna.pdf
Material Format	PDF/A
Usage Rights	This item cannot be copied, reproduced, or transmitted in any form, by any means, without the express written permission of the author.

Title of Work	Page 1
Full Text Search	Running head: VULNERABLE OLDER ADULTS & LAW ENFORCEMENT 1 Caring for Vulnerable Older Adults: A Collaboration with a Local Law Enforcement Agency Erin A. Knadle Viterbo University

Caring for Vulnerable Older Adults: A Collaboration with a Local Law Enforcement Agency

Object Description

Description

Caring for Vulnerable Older Adults: A Collaboration with a...

Caring for Vulnerable Older Adults: A Collaboration with a...