Summary
Elder abuse interventions need a multidisciplinary approach to address the complex dynamics of the abusive situation. The introduction of the Abuse Against Older Adults (AAOA) Unit provides a unique opportunity to address the psychosocial, criminal and legal dimensions related to elder abuse. This thesis focuses on the evaluation of the AAOA unit in its first year of operation in Vancouver, B.C. A qualitative research study was conducted, utilizing focus groups to gather data. The findings show that a police-social worker partnership model is critical in meeting service gaps in this area of practice. The data also explored the interaction between the AAOA unit and the external health care agencies that refer cases to this team. The results encourage future research to continue studying collaboration across multidisciplinary service providers, and further study on the social work role in law enforcement culture.