You brought a great point of why it is important to assess social support and neglect in older adults. Neglect and abuse in elderly most of the time can go undetected. Fulmer and Caceres (2012) mentioned six types of mistreatment in elderly: Physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse, caregiver neglect, and self-neglect. I agree with you, it is important to assess all the patients for injury, bruises, malnutrition, dehydration, and decubitus ulcers. It is also important to ask questions such as: who will help them after hospitalization and if they feel safe inside their home. Often times it can be challenging to identify elder abuse because they are socially isolated. Social support plays an important role in older adults
