Expert outlines trauma‑informed, team‑based approach to suspected elder abuse

Dr. Pat Speck, a professor and coordinator of the graduate advanced forensic nursing program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, urged clinicians and community responders to use trauma‑informed, team‑based methods when elder abuse is suspected.

Speck opened the RTI Forensic Technology Center of Excellence webinar by noting demographic shifts and prevalence estimates that increase the public‑health urgency: as the U.S. population ages, a larger share of residents will be retirement age, and studies suggest many older adults experience abuse while only a fraction of incidents are reported.

Speck said clinicians should start by stabilizing medical needs, assessing cognition and capacity, and documenting findings carefully. "The forensic nursing role is a small piece of the investigative pie," she said, noting that accurate…