The purpose of the guideline is to expand the awareness of abuse and neglect of older adults and provide evidence-based recommendations for preventing and addressing abuse and neglect in all health-care settings across the continuum of care in Canada.
The scope of this guideline includes harms caused by the main forms of abuse and neglect. These are physical abuse, emotional/psychological abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse/exploitation and neglect.
The guideline provides best practice recommendations in three main areas: practice, education, and policy/ organization/system. Practice recommendations are directed primarily to nurses and other health-care providers in the interprofessional team who provide direct care for older adults and their families in community and institutional settings.