The Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a new framework to tackle challenges to elder abuse prevention and prosecution.
Supported by the DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Elder Justice Roadmap was developed with input from public and private stakeholders nationwide.
“The Roadmap Project is an important milestone for elder justice,” says associate attorney general Tony West in a news release. “Elder abuse is a problem that has gone on too long, but the Roadmap Report can change this trajectory by offering comprehensive and concrete action items for all of the stakeholders dedicated to combating the multi-faceted dimensions of elder abuse and financial exploitation.”
One in 10 Americans over the age of 60 has experienced elder abuse or neglect, and people with dementia are at higher risk for abuse, says HHS.
The roadmap is an online curriculum designed to teach legal aid and other civil attorneys how to identify and respond to elder abuse.
The first three modules of the training cover what lawyers should know about elder abuse; practical and ethical strategies to use when facing challenges in this area; and a primer on domestic violence and sexual assault. The roadmap will expand to include six one-hour modules covering issues relevant to attorneys who may encounter elder abuse victims in the course of their practice.
HHS also developed a voluntary national adult protective services (APS) data system that collects national data on adult mistreatment to identify and address gaps about the number and characteristics of adults who are the victims of maltreatment.
According to the new online resource’s fact sheet, signs of elder abuse include neglect, financial abuse/esploitation, psychological/emotional abuse and physical/sexual abuse.
As a result of the Roadmap, the Archstone Foundation has funded a project at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California to develop a national training initiative, while other funders, such as the Weinberg Foundation, have begun to consider inquiries and projects outlined in the roadmap, HHS says.
In addition, the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College, The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, and the New York City Elder Abuse Center will be co-sponsoring a symposium in September 2014 focusing on innovations and challenges related to elder abuse multidisciplinary teams, a priority area identified in the roadmap.
The Elder Justice Roadmap can be accessed here.
Online training for attorneys is also available here.
Written by Cassandra Dowell
