Elder and Adult Sexual Abuse: A Model Curriculum for Adult Services/Adult Protective Services Workers

ABSTRACT

Sexual abuse of older adults is an issue that even the most proficient and competent of service providers to older adults feel poorly-equipped to handle professionally. This paper describes a three-day competency-based training curriculum on adult/elder sexual abuse developed for Adult Services and Adult Protective Services workers in Virginia. A rationale and background description are provided, followed by a discussion of the basic themes and principles on which the course was based. A list of course objectives and a summary of course content are provided, as well as informal evaluative data on success of the curriculum development project. The paper concludes with recommendations for other practitioners in aging interested in the development and delivery of similar training programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Course content
• investigation
• assessment
• course evaluation
• recommendations