The authors describe assessment of 16-year changes in memory and intellectual abilities in a sample of 106 adults ages 30-36 and 55-81 at baseline. Results suggest that there are reliable 16-year declines in list and test recall but not in recognition after age 55. Comparisons of predictions of change from the cross-sectional baseline sample indicated that longitudinal changes were either similar to or greater than predicted for those participants over the age of 60. Despite age differences in initial scores, a comparison of 2 cohorts in a time lag analysis showed that they did not differ in performance when they were in their 70s. These results suggest that age changes in list and text recall in older adults are due to age-related declines rather than to cohort differences and that age declines in recognition are not reliable.

The general pattern of findings was consistent across both samples and neither hypothesis was supported. Possible explanations for the similarity of results across samples are considered.

Accidental bruises occur in a predictable location pattern in older adults. One cannot reliably predict the age of a bruise by its color.

Elder mistreatment is experienced by 10% of older adults and is much more common among older adults with dementia. It is associated with increased rates of psychological distress, hospitalization and death and, in the US, costs billions of dollars each year. Though elder mistreatment is relatively common and costly, it is estimated that less than 10% of instances of elder mistreatment are reported. Given these data, there is a great need for research on interventions to mitigate elder mistreatment, and a practical model or framework to use in approaching such interventions. While many theories have been proposed, adapted and applied to understand elder mistreatment, there has not been a simple, coherent framework of known risk factors of the victim, perpetrator, and environment that applies to all types of abuse. In this paper we present a new model to examine the multidimensional and complex relationships between risk factors. This model is informed by theories of elder mistreatment, research on risk factors for elder mistreatment and 10 years of experience of faculty and staff at an Elder Abuse Forensics Center who have investigated more than 1000 cases of elder mistreatment. We hope this model, the Abuse Intervention Model (AIM), will be used to study and intervene in elder mistreatment.

No abstract