California Elder Justice Coalition (CEJC)
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​​Protecting the rights, independence, and safety of older people by exploring barriers, sharing information and ideas, and providing a voice from the field to policy makers​

Who We Are

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CEJC is a multidisciplinary membership organization providing a voice from the field in elder justice policy and practice. We promote the rights of older adults, including protection against age-based discrimination and elder abuse, and equitable access to resources, health care, and the legal system by those in greatest need. Our programs include:

Nat'l Elder Justice Advocates Academy
The Academy provides advocates with information, updates, promising practices, webinars, toolkits, and opportunities to join in the national dialogue on elder justice. 

Senior Medicare Patrol
CEJC partners with the California Senior Medicare Patrol to inform professionals, advocates, and the public about how Medicare fraud harms seniors, caregivers, and the public, and what they can do.

Policy

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CEJC advocates for policy reform, raises awareness about elder justice developments, creates opportunities for exchange among advocates and policy makers, and provides consultation, training, and technical assistance. Our  work reflects our Principles of Elder Justice handout and video. 

 Our current work focuses on: 
  • Promoting justice and equity in California's Master Plan for Aging ​

Learn

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Our educational materials focus on leading edge issues in elder justice with the aim of fostering new ideas and innovations. They include: 
  • ​Elder Justice Toolkits
  • Elder Justice Viewpoints Blog
  • Advocates Academy Webinars
  • ​Publications
  • ​News & Updates 
  • Awareness Snapshots​
Upcoming Webinar:
CEJC is partnering with Senior Medicare Patrol to host Fraud and Financial Abuse Prevention Networks: Showcasing Innovation on Thursday, January 28th, 2021, 10:00 -11:30 AM Pacific.  For more information and to register, visit
Webinars and Events.  

News & Updates

To view the full November/December 2020 News & Updates and to subscribe to News & Updates emails, click here:
News & Updates


​CEJC News

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CEJC Priorities in Master Plan Recommendations
CEJC is pleased to report that California’s Master Plan for Aging Stakeholder Advisory Recommendations include a proposal for a California Elder Justice Coordinating Council to provide ongoing leadership, coordination, and direction to our field. The Council, which CEJC called for, would:
  • Require key state departments to designate elder justice point persons to provide leadership, coordination, and accountability.
  • Provide ongoing opportunities for stakeholders to inform key state leaders about developments and needs.
  • Provide guidance to local elder justice  coalitions, and MDTs
Other CEJC priorities contained in the recommendations:
  • Ensuring that all Californians have access to advance directives to protect their rights if they become incapacitated,
  • Exploring less restrictive options for conservatorship.
  • Creating a task force to re-examine the relationship between law enforcement and other entities that address elder abuse,
  • Increased support for legal services for older adults
  • Create a statewide network of elder abuse shelters
CEJC will continue to work with its partners to advocate for increased government support for adult protective services and targeting abuse prevention resources and research to underserved communities. 

National News

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 Appropriation Bill Contains APS Funds 
The fiscal year 2021 appropriations bill and pandemic relief legislation that went into law on Sunday, December 27th (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021) includes one-time, one-year funding for Elder Justice Act related programs, half of which are dedicated to Adult Protective Services. The legislation directs the funds to be spent for activities authorized under the Elder Justice Act for elder abuse prevention, and, in particular, to prevent it from increasing during the pandemic (the EJA, which was passed in 2009 as part of the Affordable Care Act, expired in 2014). Advocates had hoped that the new budget would include a reauthorization of the Elder Justice Act, but the new funds give advocates hope for crossing the finish line in the next Congress.

VOCA Funds In Jeopardy
​National advocacy organizations are urging Congress to prevent anticipated catastrophic cuts to Victim of Crime Act  funding through a legislative fix that will increase deposits to the Crime Victims Fund (CVF). Sources of the CVF, which supports victim assistance and compensation programs, include fees, fines and forfeitures from white collar crimes. The cuts are the result of fewer federal white-collar crimes being prosecuted.  VOCA has been a major source of support for services for older victims in California, including elder abuse multidisciplinary teams, legal assistance, case management, shelter, and support groups. A decreased allocation could result in the loss of these critical services. 

California News

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Master Plan Highlights 5 Goals Including Elder Justice
Signaling a new era of bold leadership in aging services, Kim McCoy Wade, Director of the California Department of Aging, and Health & Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly have released California’s first-ever Master Plan for Aging (MPA), which outlines 5 goals: 1) building housing for all ages, 2) improving access to health services, 3) providing inclusive opportunities for seniors to live and work without fear of abuse and neglect, 4) bolstering the caregiving workforce, and 5) increasing economic security for aging Californians. It outlines over 100 "Action-Ready Initiatives" that have already been adopted for implementation by state agencies in partnership with stakeholders and the Legislature. Initiatives that promote elder justice are contained under Goal 3:  
  • Initiative 93: Create a statewide California Elder Justice Council to increase coordination and develop recommendations to prevent and address elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, and fraud, including consideration of particular COVID-19 risks and of the 28 recommendations from the Elder Justice Coalition.
  • Initiative 94: Review roles of Licensing, Long Term Care Ombudsmen, and Adult Protective Services and the experiences in other states to prevent and address abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities.
  • Initiative 95: Assess Adult Protective Services’ capacity, age of people served, and services provided, especially for complex cases, given growing and changing needs.
  • Initiative 96:  Create a Governor’s Office Leadership Position on Aging, Disability, and Alzheimer's.
  • Initiative 97: Assess needs and capacities of Legal Services for Older Adults, given growing and changing needs.
The administration has posted a Local Playbook and Data Dashboard for Aging to help communities implement the plan.​

Cal Launches Consumer Financial Protection Agency
California’s Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL), which took effect Jan. 1, 2021, creates the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, replacing the former Department of Business Oversight. The agency will have authority to regulate previously unregulated financial products and services and review all claims of unlawful, unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices. The new organization is asking for advocates’ help in raising awareness and has created a social media kit for doing so. Graphics and social media copy are available at CCFPL on their website at CCFPL .

State News (Other States)

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North Caroline Launches Romance Imposter Scam Peer Support Group
North Carolina is among the most recent states to start a Romance Imposter Scam Peer Support Group. The new program was started with support from the Cybercrime Support Network and North Carolina's United Way 211 program with funding from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) of the U.S. Department of Justice. For more on Cybercrime Support Network and state I.D. theft Coalitions, see State ID Theft Coalitions: Stolen Identities and Beyond (May 22, 2019).

Maine Launches Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership 
In October of 2019 Maine Governor Janet Mills signed an Executive Order establishing the Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership. The mission of the EJCP, a public/private partnership whose members represent a diverse range of backgrounds and experience, is to create an elder justice roadmap for the State of Maine. The first meeting is scheduled in September, 2020. 
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National Network of State Elder Justice Coalitions (NNSEJC)

NNSEJC was formed in 2018 to build capacity at the state and national levels by sharing information, resources, and expertise. For more information and updates, see NNSEJC.  

Upcoming Meetings
The next NNSEJC Membership meeting is on March 11, 2021. It will focus on the role of state legal assistance developers. For more information, contact NSEJC@gmail.com.

NNSEJC Founders Celebrated for Leadership
As part of its Lights of Joy Campaign, the National Center on Elder Abuse celebrated leaders in the field of elder abuse prevention. Among those recognized as “lights of joy” for their leadership were NNSECJ founding members Risa Breckman and Georgia Anetzberger. Other Lights of Joy leaders are Laura Mosqueda and Bonnie Brandl. 

New Resources

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Restorative Justice Symposium Now Online 
On October 15 and 16, 2020, the Syracuse University College of Law hosted the symposium Interdisciplinary Approaches to Elder Justice: Unlocking the Potential for Restorative Justice, which brought together thought leaders from multiple countries and disciplines to showcase how restorative justice is being used by domestic violence and elder abuse prevention programs to improve outcomes for victims and their families and communities. The Restorative Justice Model focuses on repairing family relationships and reducing risk by engaging victims, their families, and social networks, as well as offenders in mediation, circles, and conferences. Proponents point out that many victims want to stop abuse but also want to see abusive family members helped. They point out the model's preventative value and the benefits of involving communities in identifying solutions. To view the event, go to IAEJ.   
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New Training on Decision-Making
The National Center for State Courts and the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging have released Finding the Right Fit: Decision-Making Supports and Guardianship, a training to help advocates and service providers assist individuals with diminished mental capacity. It focuses topics ranging from supporting people in making their own choices about health, money, and lifestyle; to deciding whether to become a guardian or conservator; to supporting self-determination.
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Research & Reports

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Senate Releases Reports on COVID in Nursing Homes 
Two Senate Committees have released reports that describe COVID-19 in facilities and offer recommendations for combatting it.
  • The Finance Committee released "COVID-19 and Nursing Homes: What Went Wrong and Next Steps."
  • The Senate Aging Committee and Senate Finance Committee released "The Cost of Inaction: 11 Deaths An Hour: An Update on the Trump Administration’s Response to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes."

​Low Staff Levels Linked to COVID in CA Nursing Homes
According to a new UCSF study, nursing homes with lower Medicare five-star ratings on nursing staffing levels, other staffing levels, and higher total health deficiencies were more like to have residents with COVID. The researchers suggest that California nursing homes that met the minimum staffing standards may have prevented or delayed infections and that establishing minimum staffing standards at the federal and state levels could lower infection rates in the future. See Low Staff Levels Linked to COVID. 

Helping Those Who Help Others: Key Findings
This report from the National Resource Center for Reaching Victims (NRC) describes the findings of a comprehensive needs assessment of the crime victims field that was conducted to better understand why some victims are not receiving services and what resources and tools the field needs to reach more people.  The research was conducted between July 2017 through March 2018. The top five crime types that respondents identified as underserved by their programs were human trafficking, domestic violence, adult sexual assault, elder abuse, and children who witness violence. See the report here. 
Blog: Elder Justice Viewpoints​

Lisa Nerenberg: COVID, Elder Justice, and Advance Directives
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​Elizabeth Podnieks: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: Hope Springs Eternal 


Lisa Nerenberg: Health Justice and Public Health in the Age of Covid-19

​Lisa Nerenberg: An Ecological Model of Elder Justice

Charles Sabatino:  Calling for a U.N. Convention on the Rights of Older People

John Dussich on Restorative Justice and Elder Abuse: A Promising Match? 

​Georgia Anetzberger on How Not to Be a Victim: Remembering Jenny

​More blog posts here. 
​Elder Justice Toolkit Pages by Topic:


Adult Protective Services

Internat'l Elder Justice Policy & Practice

Skilled Nursing Facilities  

Opioids and Older Adults 

Undue Influence

Raising Awareness

Elder Homelessness

Financial Crime 

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Photos used under Creative Commons from ProComKelly, krossbow
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Core Values
    • Accomplishments
    • Our Team
    • Our Supporters
    • Contact Us
  • Policy
    • California >
      • Covid 19 Updates
      • CEJC and the Master Plan on Aging
      • Key California Agencies
      • Laws Taking Effect in 2020
      • Innovations and Resources
    • Federal Policy >
      • Key Statutes/ Programs >
        • Elder Justice Act
        • Victims of Crime Act
        • Social Services Block Grant
        • Older Americans Act
      • National Innovations
  • Learn
    • National Advocates Academy
    • Toolkit by Topic (Nat'l) >
      • Adult Protective Services
      • Elder Homelessness
      • Financial Crime
      • International
      • Opioid Crisis
      • Raising Awareness
      • Skilled Nursing Facilities
      • Undue Influence
    • Webinars and Events
    • CEJC Publications
    • News & Updates- Nov/Dec 2020
    • Awareness Snapshots
    • Blog: Elder Justice Viewpoints
  • Join Us
    • Renew
    • Donate