Aida, a hospital counselor, has been called to the emergency room where Mary, an elderly woman, has arrived accompanied by her granddaughter, Amanda. Staff are concerned because Mary seems fearful of Amanda and because Amanda seems to want to control the entire situation.The Vulnerable Elder Rights Protection law identifies certain types of elderly people as being less able to protect or advocate for themselves and social work professionals find that elders with those characteristics are, indeed, at higher risk of abuse and neglect.

• If you were Aida, what would you want to know about Mary to determine whether she is at increased risk of abuse?
• At present, most responses to elder abuse and neglect occur after the fact, and little is done to prevent it. Suppose you are a hospital counselor working with Aida and your team has the opportunity to develop a program designed to prevent elder abuse and neglect. What would you do?