Creative Database Use

There is a saying that not everything that can be done, should be. To make sure we were properly investing AAR's efforts on behalf of the elder/vulnerable adult abuse field, we challenged ourselves to expand on a national elder abuse listserve discussion of how a database of publicly accessible information on elder/vulnerable adult abuse might be used.

• Demonstrating the need for legislation and/or funding. Those who talk about elder or vulnerable adult abuse to federal, state, and local legislators report they frequently hear such officials claim that such cases don't happen in their jurisdiction. Offering such legislators the number of cases reported among their constituents is helpful, but giving them the details of one or more such cases that people in their district are discussing over breakfast really helps break down denial. In a few areas -- take the state of California as one example -- so many articles are listed that the database entries alone may be helpful in convincing an official that the problem needs more attention.
• Identifying public education opportunities. Letters to the editor are one of the most-read features of newspapers; writing a letter of praise or clarification after an article on abuse appears in a local paper is therefore an effective, low-cost public education strategy. Article publication can also provide a good entree to having a meeting with the publication's editorial board to give them more information on elder and/or vulnerable adult abuse, community resources, issues in the field, and story ideas. If a meeting isn't feasible, perhaps a mailed packet of information is.
• Developing reporter relationships. Once a reporter has written one article on a topic, he or she is often very open to writing other articles on that topic. As the database documents, in some cases it's clear that reporters have already made elder/vulnerable adult abuse cases a regular part of their "beat." Even if a reporter has only covered elder/vulnerable adult abuse once, it may be very worthwhile to contact her or him to introduce yourself, offer to serve as a "source" for future articles and, perhaps, ask if he or she would like to be added to your mailing list for annual reports and the like. Don't be afraid to also send them story ideas; unless you make a pest of yourself, the worst that will happen is that they won't pursue your idea.
• Keeping tabs on local developments. As we all know, elder/vulnerable adult abuse cases get reported to -- or show up in -- a wide variety of places. It's entirely possible that a case making the news is news to you. If so, you may want to contact someone to offer services, to invite them to attend your multidisciplinary team or coalition, or to offer them training.
• Monitoring public perception of your agency. People develop expectations of an agency based on their previous contacts with that agency or -- if they have had no contacts -- from what they've heard about the agency. One of the places they may "hear" things is the media. That's why it's important to know what the media is saying about you; if it isn't good, you may want to take action. For an example of coverage that might have been made an agency's work in the community more difficult, see "Family Fights for Custody of Parents; Howard Co. Council on Aging Removes Elderly Parents From Home," April 22, 2003, at www.thewbalchannel.com/.
• Identifying prosecution trends and successful prosecutors. Adult Abuse Review will continue to summarize the publicly-reported results of elder/vulnerable adult prosecutions, but the database is another way of tracking prosecution trends and identifying prosecutors who might be willing to consult on a similar case in your jurisdiction.
• Identifying new service ideas. Yes, we're in a tight economy where budgets are shrinking nearly everywhere. That's precisely the time to be open to new ideas, which may help service dollars stretch further. Innovative elder/vulnerable adult abuse service ideas are showing up in mainstream media to a surprising extent; the database can help identify these.
• Locating training aids. Many elder/vulnerable adult abuse training programs rely on case studies or other methods to help trainees grasp the concepts being presented. Newspaper articles -- particularly those which are accompanied by reproducible photographs of victims -- are an excellent way to make elder/vulnerable adult abuse "real." It should also be noted that while some may dismiss case studies as constructed and therefore possibly "exaggerated," newspaper articles are often viewed as more reflective of the "real world."
• Researching national trends. Is one region of the country more elder abuse-savvy than another? What kind of information is the public getting about elder/vulnerable adult abuse from the media? What aren't they getting? How does media coverage of elder/vulnerable adult abuse issues change over time? These sorts of research questions are more easily answered by a ready-made database like this one.
• Identifying story ideas for your media to pursue. As mentioned earlier, it might be a good public education strategy to pitch elder/vulnerable adult abuse story ideas to local reporters. For one thing, giving them an idea to pursue is a whole lot cheaper than designing, creating, and delivering a from-the-ground-up media campaign yourself! The database can help you identify ideas that have worked in other places that might import well to your jurisdiction. If the media in your area already regularly covers elder/vulnerable adult abuse issues, you may be able to spot trends in what the editors and reporters think is newsworthy, and slant your tips (or advocacy efforts) accordingly.

That's our list. Please let us know what uses you find for the Media Coverage of Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse database.