Bruising as a Forensic Marker of Physical Elder Abuse

Abstract

This study was designed to look at bruising as a marker of physical elder abuse. Bruises were examined to determine if elder abuse had occurred and an expert panel confirmed that the bruises were due to physical elder abuse. The study was comprised of 67 adults over age 65 whose cases had been reported to the Orange County Adult Protective Services because of suspected elder physical abuse. The study included 142 variables and assessed the functioning of the subjects, medical conditions, cognitive functioning, and history of falls along with patterns of bruising. (CVRL Abstract).