Penn Bioethics Seminar | Emily Largent, PhD, JD, RN
12:00pm - 1:00pm • 1402 Blockley Hall
2019-05-28 12:00:00 2019-05-28 13:00:00 America/New_York Penn Bioethics Seminar | Emily Largent, PhD, JD, RN Granny Get Your Gun: Firearms and Dementia Older adults in the United States have broad exposure to guns. Of adults aged 65 or older, 33% report that they own a gun; another 12% say that they do not own a gun but live with someone who does. This means that nearly half of older adults have at least one gun in their household. Given current demographic and gun ownership trends, gun ownership by older adults is only expected to increase. As the U.S. population ages, the number of people with dementia is also expected to increase. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.5 million Americans aged 65 or older are currently living with Alzheimer’s dementia, and that number is likely to reach nearly 14 million by 2020. Dementia presents a unique challenge for gun safety and a source of concern for families, friends, caregivers, and a range of health professionals who care for of persons with dementia. This talk begins to address these issues. Bio: https://ldi.upenn.edu/expert/emily-largent-phd-jd-rn 1402 Blockley Hall Penn Medical EthicsGranny Get Your Gun: Firearms and Dementia
Older adults in the United States have broad exposure to guns. Of adults aged 65 or older, 33% report that they own a gun; another 12% say that they do not own a gun but live with someone who does. This means that nearly half of older adults have at least one gun in their household. Given current demographic and gun ownership trends, gun ownership by older adults is only expected to increase. As the U.S. population ages, the number of people with dementia is also expected to increase. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.5 million Americans aged 65 or older are currently living with Alzheimer’s dementia, and that number is likely to reach nearly 14 million by 2020. Dementia presents a unique challenge for gun safety and a source of concern for families, friends, caregivers, and a range of health professionals who care for of persons with dementia. This talk begins to address these issues.