Elder mistreatments and abuse is one of the many social crimes that have been emerging in the social spheres of society. According to the studies conducted in emergency rooms and primary care settings by Terry Fulmer in the Bouve College of Health Sciences of Northeastern University, there are almost 80 percent of cases found.
Fulmer who is a known expert in geriatrics shared her research findings with her students, staff, and faculty at the Semester’s ‘Faculty Works-in-progress Colloquium Series’. In her next research, she attempts to focus on finding strategies in order to detect and reduce elder mistreatment. She says that there is no such awareness or study going on in the US and that is adding up to the problem.
Empowerment and self-management are two powerful concepts that can be used to reduce the neglect of the case, says Fulmer. The identification of ignorance and neglect is an important process toward the improvement of the conditions of elders and avoiding mistreatment. Therefore, she plans to ask and interrogate these patients about what problems they face and what they aren’t receiving (like basic requirements of food, water, and rest). Based on their response, she can ask the caregivers to provide them with the needful assistance. Her main goal is not just detecting the situations and places of mistreatment but also tackling and moreover preventing it.
Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Georges Van Den Abbeele welcomed attendees to the lecture. According to him, Fulmer is capable of bringing the very expertise of concerns in the domain of elderly mistreatment and health care.
Now, Fulmer wishes to collaborate with faculty in the Humanities and Social Sciences for her future research projects. It is not just her faculty that can contribute but many more people who can connect to the scenario of elder mistreatment and work towards preventing it. “There are so many natural alliances when you think about the research that we do,” says Fulmer.
Akshara Palshetkar
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