A POSSIBLE CASE OF ELDERLY ABUSE

Sara Hartley is 85 years old and has been a patient of the practice fo r many years. She suffers from the early stages of senile dementia, bu t remains fully mobile and otherwise well. She is cared for at home by her unmarried daughter, Margaret, who works part-time for one hour ev ery morning cleaning a neighbour's house. Sara is forgetful and has ur inary incontinence, but is able to dress and feed herself and does not wander or have inappropriate behaviour. One morning, you receive a re quest from Margaret for a home visit because her mother has fallen and injured her eye. On visiting, you find Sara sitting withdrawn in a ch air. She has a black eye and bruising around the cheek on the opposite side of her face. She says little and is unable to describe how she b ecame injured. From the pattern of the bruising you do not believe tha t Sara could have sustained these injuries from the fall which Margare t describes. How would you manage this case?