At Friday morning's press conference at their Pearl street headquarters, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) released a list of 20 recommendations aimed to combat a troublingly prevalent issue: elder abuse and "the neglect of older adults".
The recommendations, intended for nurses and other health-care providers as well as for the government and educators, will also be released as part of a forthcoming RNAO best practice guide: Preventing and Addressing Abuse and Neglect of Older Adults: Person-Centred, Collaborative, System-Wide Approaches.
Among other things, the preliminary RNAO recommendations call for mandatory education for healthcare workers responsible for the care of older adults. This education would include not only how to spot signs of abuse and neglect, but also how to cover more intangible issues, such as the rights of older adults and protocol for responding to and reporting abuse or neglect.
The recommendations and forthcoming best practice guide on elder abuse were developed after extensive research. Dr. Samit Sinha, director of Geriatrics at Toronto's Mount Sinai hospital and Dr. Elizabeth Podnieks, founder of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, co-led a Canadian panel of experts charged with creating the evidence-based guide.
"As a geriatrician, I feel it is imperative to tackle this ongoing and pervasive yet often silent concern," said Dr. Samir Sinha of the recommendations. "With the coming and rapid growth of our aging population, we must stand up, support and protect the rights of older Canadians. The recommendations contained in this best practice guideline will go a long way towards preventing and addressing this important issue."
The guideline, which will be released in July, will eventually be supported by an e-learning course and a plain language resource for the public.
Writer: Katia Snukal