As David, a second-year medical student, made his way into the lecture hall, he was surprised to see how packed the room was. A group of 25 third-year students, or onefifth of the class, had recently petitioned to switch from a traditional letter-grade system to one that was pass/fail at their school, and the medical student government organized a townhall meeting for students to discuss the matter. Unable to find a place to sit, David stood against the wall alongside his good friend Beth, a fellow second-year. In the room he saw students of all levels, from first-years to fourthyears, engaged in excited chatter.
Elder mistreatment may become increasingly apparent as the elderly population continues to grow. Due to their knowledge and skills, physicians have a unique role in the multidisciplinary teams that care for such patients. This case report examines the suspected elder mistreatment in an aphasic, septic patient under the care of family members, one of which was also his medical decision maker. The healthcare team utilized medical and community resources in the care and intervention, which exemplified characteristics of best practice. Physicians and other providers have a responsibility to better identify and intervene in suspected cases of elder mistreatment and further education must be sought in order to adequately serve the elderly community.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.