Research Alert: November 18, 2024

Triad Program Perspectives on Preventing and Addressing Elder Abuse in Rural Communities

Elder abuse is a widespread issue and rural communities face unique risks to preventing, identifying, and addressing it. This brief shares results from key informant interviews with representatives of rural Triads (multi-sectoral community-based partnerships that address elder abuse) to illuminate rural-specific dimensions of this issue.

Key Findings:

• Challenges to preventing and addressing elder abuse included themes related to education and awareness, outreach and engagement, limited resources and services, reporting issues, isolation, stigma, and systemic barriers.
• Criteria for successful interventions from rural Triads include the integration of elder abuse programming, community collaboration, older adult engagement, and elder abuse infrastructure.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More FORHP-funded research on Aging
• More information about the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guide: Community Supports for Rural Aging in Place and Independent Living