Law Enforcement Insights and Interviewing Practices for Older Adult Maltreatment Cases

Most law enforcement participants in this study reported receiving maltreatment reports from older adults on a weekly basis. Yet, two-thirds did not use a specific best practice interviewing protocol or guidelines with these eyewitnesses. Many older adults face physical, cognitive, and emotional barriers to reporting abuse. To improve responses, law enforcement professionals recommended increasing public awareness, expanding education programs on older adult safety and care, implementing policy changes, and promoting stronger multidisciplinary collaboration in their investigations. Law enforcement professionals who took part in the study described in the source article called for more frequent training and support for investigations involving older adults. For example, they recommended training on conducting interviews with older adults who have physical and cognitive disabilities, collaborating with other professionals across disciplines, and helping older adults better understand their legal rights (e.g., specific role of Power of Attorney).