By Candace J. Heisler and Bonnie Brandl
Victimization of the Elderly and Disabled
Vol. 4, No. 5 (January/February 2002)

Reviewed by Loree Cook-Daniels

Safety planning is a growing part of adult protective services workers’ work with clients. In the January/February 2002 edition of Victimization of the Elderly and Disabled (VED) (Vol. 4, No. 5) cover article, “Safety Planning for Professionals Working With Elderly and Clients Who Are Victims of Abuse,” by Candace J. Heisler and Bonnie Brandl, the authors look at what safety planning takes not only for clients, but also for the workers themselves.

The authors say safety planning should start when the initial referral call is made. Workers should try to find out about prior calls for service, number of occupants of the home, whether there are weapons or dangerous animals in the home, and whether anyone present is a substance abuser and/or has a mental health history. Workers should also remember that abusive individuals may live with self-neglecters, and vulnerable elders may be abusers.

Workers should think about a safety plan prior to arrival at the home. “Imagine the arrival at the scene, interview, and exit. What behaviors signal potential problems? What action can be taken if the victim and/or the abuser become agitated, angry or abusive? What responses enhance worker and client safety? Can emergency housing be found if the victim chooses to leave immediately?”

At the home, workers should think about where to park, where to stand while waiting for the door to be answered, how to keep hands free, how to visually assess the home upon entering, and how the home can be quickly exited. Angry individuals should not be allowed to leave the room unaccompanied, to ensure they are not arming themselves.

When helping clients set up safety plans, workers should ensure such plans address: planning for an explosive incident, preparing to leave, listing what needs to be brought with someone who is leaving an abusive home, keeping safe at home if the abuser leaves, considering protective or restraining orders, keeping safe in public, and keeping emotionally safe and healthy.

A single copy of this article, which is quite detailed, can be ordered by sending a check for $1.10 made out to CANE-UD (order File No. A424-5) from the Clearinghouse on Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly (CANE):
CANE
Department of Consumer Studies
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
(302) 831-3525
CANE-UD@udel.edu

For more information on subscribing to Victimization of the Elderly and Disabled, see http://www.civicresearchinstitute.com/vi3.html.