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What
is cross-disciplinary training?
It
is training geared toward helping professionals expand their
scope of knowledge and skills beyond the confines of their
own professional disciplines.
Why
is it needed?
The
field of elder abuse prevention is multidisciplinary by
nature. Professionals ranging from physicians to police
officers are likely to encounter abuse cases and are in
key positions to offer help. These professionals, including
those from the disciplines listed below, possess skills,
tools, resources, authority, and knowledge that may be needed
to stop abuse and reduce vulnerability.
- Law
enforcement
- Social
work
- Domestic
violence
- Medicine
- Sexual
assault prevention
- Victim
witness assistance
- Mental
health
- Substance
abuse
-
Adult protection
Each
discipline has its own perspective, jargon, mandates, and
resources. When professionals fail to understand these differences,
it can create barriers, misunderstandings, or "turf" conflicts.
On the other hand, when professionals learn about other
disciplines' approaches, resources, and perspectives, it
can greatly expand their repertoires of skills, increase
the resources they can make available to their clients,
and enhance their understanding of the problem. It can facilitate
interagency coordination, resulting in a more comprehensive
range of services, reducing the likelihood that clients
will "fall between the cracks" of the service network, and
cutting down on wasteful overlap.
Resources
for cross-disciplinary education and training:
The
following training manuals and curricula have been developed
to facilitate cross-disciplinary education and training.
A
Model Intervention for Elder Abuse and Dementia. This
curriculum, developed as a collaboration between five
organizations in Ohio, teaches adult protective services
(APS) workers about dementia, and Alzheimer's Association
employees about elder abuse. For more information on how
to order, contact: Development/Marketing; The Benjamin
Rose Institute; 850 Euclid Avenue, Suite 1100; Cleveland
OH 44114.
Abuser
Chemical Dependency: Key Barriers to Effective Elder Abuse
Interventions. Produced by the Bureau of Elder Rights
-Division of Older American Services of Illinois, this
curriculum familiarizes elder abuse professionals about
chemical dependency. It includes a trainers' guidebook
and caseworker handbook. For more information, contact:
Illinois Department on Aging; 421 E. Capitol Ave. #100;
Springfield IL 62701-1789.
The
National Center on Elder Abuse, in conjunction with the
Goldman Institute on Aging, has developed a series of manuals
to familiarize elder abuse professionals with a variety
of disciplines, including law enforcement, domestic violence,
victim witness assistance, and mental health. For more information,
click
here.
The
National Clearinghouse on Domestic Violence in Later Life
has produced several cross disciplinary training materials
for professionals in the fields of adult protection and
domestic violence. For more information, click
here.
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