A community capacity framework for enhancing a criminal justice response to elder abuse

Community Professionals’ Response to Intimate Partner Violence Against Rural Older Women

“…Third, professionals who collaborated to provide support to victims did so primarily during healthcare emergencies and largely because legally-mandated communications forced them to become involved (i.e., healthcare providers must notify the police and APS, and the police must contact APS). Working collectively and coordinating responsibilities across professional boundaries for IPV intervention can provide a more comprehensive and effective approach to address the safety and well-being of older IPV victims (Malik, Ward, & Janczewski, 2008; Roberto et al, 2015; Vinton & Wilke, 2014). …”

“…Each profession included in the study could benefit from increased education and awareness about IPV in late life, screening and intervention tools, community services and resources, and interagency collaboration. If community professionals can gain these insights through continuing education and participation in collaborative response efforts, their willingness to share responsibility and demonstrate collective competence to reduce IPV is likely to improve (Roberto et al, 2015). As community professionals become more knowledgeable about IPV, they may also be more willing to initiate conversations about IPV with their clients and seek their permission to speak with other providers to link them with additional services.…”

“…Service delivery systems must embrace community collaboration and develop a collective competence (Roberto et al, 2015). This involves disseminating information and building trust and reciprocity or social cohesion within communities.…”

“…The extant literature has identified experiential, cultural, and social factors, including social media (Brossoie, Roberto, & Barrow, 2012), that shape societal perceptions of and response to elder abuse and likely influence community professionals’ beliefs about IPV in late life (Roberto, Teaster, McPherson, Mancini, & Savla, 2015). Moreover, Jakobsson and colleagues (2013) found that professionals who reside in the communities they serve tend to mirror the attitudes and perspectives of the local culture.…”

“…Our research is guided by a socioecological framework, grounded in earlier research on elder abuse (Horsford, Parra-Cordona, Post, & Schiamberg, 2010; Roberto et al, 2015; Teaster, Roberto, et al, 2006) and theoretical work on building community capacity (Bowen, Martin, Mancini, & Nelson, 2000; Mancini, Nelson, Bowen, & Martin, 2006). The ecological framework facilitated our understanding of IPV in late life as a complex problem requiring systemic and coordinated responses from different levels of intervention (Teaster, Roberto, et al, 2006).…”