Keck-managed resource center teaches signs of elder abuse
To most college students, mistreatment of the elderly may seem a distant, hard-to-relate to issue that is many decades away from affecting their own lives, if it ever does.
That is why the University of Southern California’s National Center on Elder Abuse is working to spread awareness about the issue among students so they are better able to recognize signs of elder abuse, as it may affect parents or grandparents.
Established by USC’s Keck School of Medicine in 1988, the Center recently hosted an outdoor booth to disseminate a new handout, “Elder Abuse Prevention: What College Students Should Know.” The brochure is among the fliers and other materials that help young people understand that psychological, physical, financial and sexual abuse of the elderly is an alarmingly widespread problem, affecting one in six individuals over the age of 60 over the past year, according to the World Health Organization.
Amir Bell, a senior majoring in business administration who stopped by the booth, said he didn’t know the issue was so common. He said he and other college students will be more aware of the issue as their parents age.
Keck conducts other research into elder abuse, and organizers said the school is currently developing and promoting interventions for medical professionals to recognize abuse when it appears in their practices.