Assessing risk for older adult abuse: Case presentation and analysis using the Harm to Older Persons Evaluation (HOPE)

Older adult abuse (OAA) is gaining research attention with a well-developed understanding of risk factors for abuse. However, research examining the use of violence risk assessment in cases of OAA is almost non-existent. The present paper illustrates the use of the Harm to Older Persons Evaluation or HOPE (Storey et al., 2021) to assess violence risk and recommend management strategies in a case of OAA. The HOPE is a violence risk assessment instrument for OAA. Designed in the structured professional judgment framework, the HOPE includes six steps. The HOPE was completed by two trained evaluators. The results present the analysis of each of the six steps, identifying key risk factors for OAA and recommending management strategies to prevent further abuse. Through the case analysis we also highlight the identification of the OAA as well as the involvement of external agencies in the case. The case examined concerns an adult son who engaged in multiple forms of OAA toward his mother. Although OAA was not identified by the professionals involved in the case at the time, professionals were involved with both the victim and perpetrator, attempting to support their needs, most of which were risk factors for OAA. The discussion highlights considerations for the identification and assessment of risk in the case study and for OAA in general. We highlight the need for professional training on the nature, identification and assessment of OAA and for validation and comparative research on violence risk assessment tools for OAA.