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TEAM Institute

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Texas Elder Abuse & Mistreatment

The Texas Elder Abuse and Mistreatment Institute (TEAM) is a partnership between the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), McGovern Medical School and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Division of Adult Protective Services (APS). TEAM consists of four multidisciplinary divisions that work concertedly to improve the lives of abused, neglected and exploited elders and prevent the occurrence of abuse in communities in Texas and abroad. As the first formal collaboration between a medical school and a state APS program, the TEAM Institute has worked to protect the lives and dignity of thousands of abused, neglected and exploited adults and change the local, statewide and national landscape of elder abuse. For a more in-depth overview of each division of TEAM and its members, please see the division tabs.

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Historically, the TEAM Institute clinical services were limited to in-home, face-to-face medical and mental health capacity assessments of APS clients living locally near Houston, Texas. Through a statewide virtual services program called the Forensic Assessment Center Network (FACN), the TEAM Institute services have been extended to APS clients across Texas. This expansion will improve APS investigations and client outcomes through increased access to geriatric health care specialists. This new program has helped overcome geographic boundaries and shortages of specialty care providers by implementing telemedicine mental health capacity assessments, assessments of abused and neglected older adult’s mobility, mood, memory, medications, and medical and social history as well as client staffing consults with APS caseworkers. In addition, the FACN also includes forensic assessments of facility based abuse cases and employee misconduct registry reviews to assist with the determination of abuse and protection of older adults against future abuse.

For more information about TEAM Institute, contact Leslie Clark | Leslie.E.Clark@uth.tmc.edu | 713-500-3802.