"Under grant support from CIHR the EASI was developed and validated in English and French by an interdisciplinary team affiliated with McGill University to help family physicians detect those in their practices who are victims of elder abuse. Since mistreatment and neglect of older adults is a complex phenomenon with a multitude of suggested risk factors, a number of theories as to its etiology, and a broad range of physical or psychological manifestations, the EASI was not designed to be a screening tool in the traditional sense. Rather, the EASI respects doctors’ decision-making and diagnostic strategies that commonly involve indices of suspicion. It therefore aims to raise a doctor’s level of suspicion about elder abuse to a level at which the physician himself or herself makes in-depth exploration or asks permission of the patient to refer her or him for specialized evaluation by social service workers, adult protection workers, or specially trained police.
The EASI was validated for enquiry by family physicians of patients in their offices aged 65 and over, with a Folstein MMSE score of 24 or above. The EASI is comprised of only six questions and is rapid to administer. The first five are asked by the doctor and answered by the patient in a YES / NO format. The sixth question is answered by the doctor, based on his or her observaitons of the patient. In the majority of cases EASI completion takes about two minutes to do; maximum reported time is five minutes."
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Source: McGill University
