The Elder Assessment Team (EAT) was organized in 1981 in response to Massachusetts State law which requires the reporting of abuse of elders residing in long-term care facilities; the law was later amended to include reporting of abuse of community-dwelling seniors. Cases are referred to the doctors, nurses, social workers, and health policy specialist of the EAT by hospital staff, community agency workers, the patient, or his family. EAT has encouraged reporting of any suspicious injury or condition in order to avoid missing cases, to sensitize staff to the problem, and to provide teaching opportunities on various geriatric issues. A preliminary assessment is conducted by the team member receiving the initial referral; if suspicion of neglect or abuse continues, an appropriate team member is assigned primary responsibility for the case. The next step is a multidisciplinary assessment, where the team members exercise their specific skills and strategies. Results of this assessment, consisting of reviewing medical records, interviewing the patient and family, examining the patient, and talking to direct care providers, are presented at the weekly EAT meeting. The team decides whether to gather more information, not report the case, or report the case to hospital administrators for formal action. Primary caregivers outside the hospital are informed of the assessment outcome. Evaluation of the EAT indicates it has successfully raised the level of awareness of elder abuse and developed an effective assessment process. Where resources are more limited, an elder abuse screening process or on-call system may be more practical. Because of the sensitivity of suspected abuse investigations, the EAT process places great importance on the validity of a formal report. 6 references.