A Qualitative Study of Adult Protective Services Practitioners Responding to Allegations of Elder Abuse and Self-Neglect

ABSTRACT

Adult Protective Services (APS) practitioners play an essential role in supporting older adults experiencing elder abuse and self-neglect (EASN), however, very little research has examined their experiences, from their perspectives. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of APS practitioners responding to allegations of EASN. Qualitative interviews were conducted with APS practitioners (n = 14) from the state of Maine. A descriptive phenomenological approach involving two independent assessors was used to code transcripts into themes. Two domains, each with various subthemes, were identified: (1) rewarding elements of role and (2) challenging aspects of role. The findings of this study emphasize how APS practitioners are motivated by their capacity to help elicit positive change in the lives of their clients and support the well-being of older adults experiencing EASN. However, APS practitioners must navigate numerous challenges and barriers in their role, including time constraints, high and complex caseloads, limited resources, and broader misconceptions on APS. These findings highlight the importance of addressing these stressors to support the well-being of APS practitioners, which, in turn, can help support the vulnerable older adults they serve.

KEYWORDS:

• Elder abuse
• self-neglect
• adult protective services
• qualitative

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank all the staff and leadership at Adult Protective Services in Maine, who dedicated so much time and effort to making this project possible. In particular, we would like to thank the practitioners who shared their perspectives in the qualitative interviews reflected in this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living [90EJSG0031-01-00], the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada [435-2020-0339], and the Canada Research Chair [2020-00084].