Tag Archives: neglect

Expert panel tackles elder abuse at workshop on aging — part one

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Liz Seegert

About Liz Seegert

Liz Seegert (@lseegert), is AHCJ’s topic editor on aging. Her work has appeared in NextAvenue.com, Journal of Active Aging, Cancer Today, Kaiser Health News, the Connecticut Health I-Team and other outlets. She is a senior fellow at the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at George Washington University and co-produces the HealthCetera podcast.

It’s hard to fathom how someone could abuse a vulnerable older person, especially a family member. Unfortunately, elder abuse is growing – by some estimates, one in 10 Americans 60 or older have experienced some form of elder abuse.

Funding needs to increase at the federal, state, and local levels to address the causes, consequences and solutions to this issue. As a society, we need to come to terms with this challenge and do a better job of taking care of our elderly population, according to panelists at AHCJ’s October workshop on aging and health in Los Angeles. Continue reading →

Seeking ways to report on adversity and kids’ health

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Susan Heavey

About Susan Heavey

Susan Heavey, (@susanheavey) a Washington, D.C.-based journalist, is AHCJ’s topic leader on social determinants of health and curates related material at healthjournalism.org. She welcomes questions and suggestions on resources and tip sheets at determinants@healthjournalism.org.

Photo: Norbert Eder via Flickr

A growing number of reporters are taking another look at adverse childhood experiences when it comes to health in both children and adults.

Such events, known as ACEs, are getting the attention of local and national leaders as well as health care professionals looking for other ways to tackle patient’s ailments beyond the exam room. Continue reading →

New tip sheet offers pointers for reporting on elder abuse

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Pia Christensen

About Pia Christensen

Pia Christensen (@AHCJ_Pia) is the managing editor/online services for AHCJ. She manages the content and development of healthjournalism.org, coordinates AHCJ's social media efforts and edits and manages production of association guides, programs and newsletters.

Photo: Theen Moy via Flickr

Photo: Theen Moy via Flickr

Elder abuse was a key agenda item at this year’s White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA). While much of that panel discussion focused on financial exploitation, this is only one type of abuse that an older person might suffer.

Liz Seegert’s new tip sheet discusses how many seniors have suffered from some kind of abuse – the numbers are alarming – as well as what constitutes abuse, factors that make seniors vulnerable and common signs of abuse.

For reporters, Seegert offers a list of story ideas, resources and contact information for potential sources for those writing about elder abuse.