A Statewide Elder Mistreatment Virtual Assessment Program: Preliminary Data

Objectives: To describe the Texas Elder Abuse and Mistreatment Institute Forensic Assessment Center Network (TEAM-FACN), a novel statewide elder mistreatment (EM) virtual assessment program using low-cost videophone technology and innovative web-based coordination to connect an Adult Protective Services (APS) agency and its clients, rural and urban, to a centralized geriatric and EM expert medical team for virtual in-home assessments.

Design: Descriptive.

Setting: Community.

Participants: APS clients aged 18 and older.

Intervention: Virtual and in-home assessments.

Measurements: Program use and type of services provided.

Results: In the first 8 months, 300 APS clients from all regions of the state were referred for assessment. Outcomes realized include a quadrupling in number of client assessments. TEAM-FACN physicians provided an average of 2 services, which included 216 mental health assessments, with 123 conducted virtually; 42 medical assessments; 45 guardianship filings; 5 employee misconduct registry reviews; and more than 230 interdisciplinary team meetings to discuss case findings, safety plans, and medical and social interventions.

Conclusion: TEAM-FACN provides an innovative and viable way to increase access of urban and rural older and adults who are being mistreated to expert geriatric and EM protective service assessments. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:151-155, 2019.