The College of Nursing’s second annual Forensic Nursing Conference is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Friday, July 22. The title of this year’s conference is “How Communities Address Elder Abuse.”
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing”s second annual Forensic Nursing Conference is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Friday, July 22, and will be held in the Humphrey”s General Education Building at the corner of Dunlap and Madison. The title of this year”s conference is “How Communities Address Elder Abuse,” and its focus will be to present the incidence and secondary effects of injury and violence to older adults, as well as to discuss prevention strategies.
In 2003, Susan Patton, DNSc, APRN-BC, forensic nursing option coordinator with the UTHSC College of Nursing, received a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to initiate the forensic program and annually fund continuing education conferences related to injury and violence. The programs are designed to educate the public and enhance the UTHSC doctoral program of forensic nursing, the only clinical doctorate of its kind in the world.
“UTHSC hopes to present core information that all nurses, including forensic nurses, should have about elder abuse, thus creating better practice and patient care,” said Dr. Patton. In addition, members of the community, healthcare and law enforcement professionals and students from a variety of schools will be attending.
Keynote speaker for the event will be Linda Phillips, PhD, RN, professor at the University of Arizona”s College of Nursing. Over the course of her career, she has authored or co-authored more than 40 books and is a clinical expert on the subjects of gerontology and public health. Her topics for discussion are “Addressing Elder Abuse and Neglect in Domestic Settings” and “Addressing Elder Abuse and Neglect in Institutional Settings.”
Also presenting will be Daniel J. Sheridan, PhD, MSN, RN, an assistant professor at the School of Nursing at Johns Hopkins University. He will discuss screening and assessment techniques in his presentation titled, “Injury to Older Adults: The Crucial Role of Forensic Investigation.”
The program will also draw on several local experts. They include:
Suzanne Meeks, MA, MS, RN
Owner of Sue Meeks and Associates, a geriatric care management and legal nurse consulting company
Presentation: “Placing Older Adults in Extended Care: Things to Consider”
Patricia M. Speck, MSN, APRN-BC
Former coordinator of nursing services for the City of Memphis, Sexual Assault Resource Center
Presentation: “Rape of the Elderly: A Sentinel Approach to Discovery”
Jerome L. Blakemore, PhD
Director and associate professor of the Division of Social Work at the University of Memphis
Presentation: “The Role of Assertive Case Work in Understanding Elder Abuse”
Linda D. Kirklen, JD
The assistant district attorney general”s lead prosecutor for the Fraud and Economic Crime Unit
Presentation: “The Heartbreak of Elder Fraud: How Medical Professionals Can Help”
Susan B. Patton, DNSc, APRN-BC
Doctor of Nursing Practice, Forensic Option Coordinator
Moderator for panel discussion based on two cases of elder maltreatment