title: Elder financial abuse: an evaluation framework and supporting evidence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a valid and reliable framework for evaluating cases of alleged elder financial abuse.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experienced experts in elder financial abuse rated a framework with eight elements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Professionals attending an advanced training course on elder abuse.
  
  
  METHODS
  Deputy district attorneys (n=44), senior law enforcement detectives (n=59), Adult Protective Service workers, and public guardians and victim advocates (n=56) who had a combined total of 1,985 years of experience and who had investigated a total of 3,225 cases (mean of 13.1 years and 21.2 cases) were included.
  
  
  METHODS
  These experienced professionals were asked to rate how well an evaluative framework matched their experience with elder financial abuse using a 5-point rating scale ranging from very little to almost entirely.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean rating for the model was 4.4 out of 5. About 90% of the sample rated it as almost entirely or very much matching their experience. There were no differences between professions. The reliability measure was 0.85.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest a reliable and valid framework for evaluating cases of possible elder financial abuse.
authors.affiliation: Elder Abuse Forensic Center, University of California at Irvine College of Medicine, Irvine, California 90242, USA. bkemp@uci.edu
authors.forename: Bryan J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Mosqueda
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004467:Economics; D004552:Elder Abuse; D005382:Financing, Personal / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D014481:United States