March 22nd, 2023

EAPO Annual Virtual Conference Series, 2023

Elder Abuse Interventions: Reducing Harm & Building Connections

Session: RISE: A Community-Based Elder Abuse Response Intervention Addressing a Critical Systems Gap

Our systems of response for cases of elder abuse in the community are insufficient throughout most of Canada. Similarly, our knowledge of effective interventions to support older adults who are at risk of or experiencing elder abuse is limited. This presentation will describe RISE, a community-based elder abuse response program intervention that has demonstrated evidence. Informed by ecological-systems, relational, and client-centered perspectives, RISE is a community-based elder abuse intervention that integrates core modalities (motivational interviewing, restorative justice, teaming, supported decision making) demonstrating evidence and/or promising results with elder abuse cases and/or in other domains of family violence. The intervention operates at Relational, Individual, Social, and Environmental levels of ecological influence. Specifically, RISE works with both older adult victims and others, including alleged harmers, their relationships, and strengthens the social supports surrounding them. RISE began as a pilot in two counties of Maine and has now been scaled throughout the entire state working with over 450 cases. This presentation will describe the RISE model and present evaluation findings to date, as well as describe current efforts to implement and test RISE in Toronto.

Speaker:

David Burnes
Associate Professor, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto

Shared Resources and Links

RISE: A Conceptual Model of Integrated and Restorative Elder Abuse Intervention
Research Paper

The RISE Model – A new more just and person-centered approach to elder abuse