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
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
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:
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Learn
Our educational materials focus on leading edge issues in elder justice with the aim of fostering new ideas and innovations. They include:
In Case You Missed It: Recordings are now available for our most recent webinars: October 20th: Elder Justice for Medicare Beneficiaries October 1st: Advancing Trauma Informed Responses to Elder Abuse Visit Webinars and Events for more information. |
News & Updates |
To view the full September/October 2020 News & Updates and to subscribe to News & Updates emails, click here:
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National News
EJC Provisions Contained in "Heroes 2.0 Act" With the Elder Justice Act (EJA) in limbo, advocates have pushed for including the reauthorization or elements of it in COVID-relief packages and budget requests. Most recently, elder justice provisions were embedded in the “Heroes 2.0 Act,” the House’s latest COVID-19 emergency funding bill. It includes $175 million for the EJA based on provisions contained in the Elder Justice Reauthorization Act introduced by Sen. Wyden and Rep. Neal a few weeks ago. These include increased funding for APS, long term ombudsman programs, and senior legal assistance programs. See the specifics beginning on page 140 of this PDF. House and Senate Democrats previously introduced stand-alone legislation to reauthorize the EJA. H.R.8079 (Reps Neal and Bonamici) would “reauthorize funding for programs to prevent, investigate, and prosecute elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and for other purposes.” Sen. Ron Wyden and others are introducing the Senate version which would authorize $2.22 billion for EJA programs and activities through fiscal year FY 2024, including:
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California News
SB 214: Promoting Community Care in the COVID-19 Era Reducing nursing home placements during the COVID-19 pandemic was the goal of the Newsom Administration’s “Long-Term Care at Home” (LTCH) Medi-Cal Waiver proposal, which was introduced during the Legislature’s budget negotiations in May. LTCH was proposed with little detail, but was widely viewed as a way to replace the Community Based Adult Services (CBAS) adult day program and the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), both of which were slated for elimination in the Governor’s 2020-2021 May Revise budget. Advocates decried the proposed elimination of the two highly-effective community-based programs, particularly since a similar effort to eliminate adult day healthcare (ADHC) programs in 2011 resulted in a court ruling preserving the program on the basis that eliminating this alternative to institutional care would violate the terms of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead Decision. Following months of stakeholder input, the Administration announced in August that LTCH would be dropped. In response to the LTCH concept, the Master Plan for Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) developed an Immediate Crisis Care Response (ICCR) to divert patients away from skilled nursing. The ICCR would expand eligibility and access to existing community-based programs and work with hospitals and nursing home to discharge eligible patients and coordinate their care at home. The first step toward implementing the ICCR is contained in SB 214 (Dodd), which implements adjustments and enhances the Community Care Transitions program. SB 214 has been approved by the Legislature and is now awaiting Governor Newsom’s signature. See SB 214. 2020 Aging and Disability-Related Legislation The California Department of Aging (CDA) has posted a list of notable 2020 enrolled and chaptered 2019-20 legislation pertaining to aging and disability rights. It reports that when the session adjourned on August 31, it had considered 5,423 total pieces of legislation, which the governor has until Sept 30 to sign or veto. Click here for a listing of notable 2020 enrolled and chaptered aging-related bills. A round -up of enacted laws related to aging will be posted in Oct. The CDA has posted a list of aging and disability-related legislation here. Go to CDA list. Wrapping Up the MPA Despite a pandemic and wildfires that have overwhelmed California’s aging services system, the Master Plan for Aging (MPA) workgroups have forged ahead to complete the first phase of their work. On September 15, the Stakeholder Advisory Committee met for the last time to present the final MPA recommendations for a comprehensive and progressive agenda, which can be found at EngageCA.org. Of special interest to elder justice advocates are Goal 4: Economic Security, Safety & Emergency Preparedness, which contains Elder Justice & Abuse Recommendations (page 25). |
State News (Other States)
Washington Adopts Supported Decision-Making Provisions In April, 2020, Washington’s governor signed (SB 6287), making it the most recent state to adopt supported decision-making (SDM) agreements as a less restrictive alternative to guardianship for adults with disabilities. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2022, To learn more about SDM and how it is being used in other states, go to the National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making. 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. 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 November 12, 2020. It will feature Chris Herman of the National Association of Social Workers, who will describe NASW's work in elder justice and the role of social workers in elder justice advocacy. The Coalition in Focus is the Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention. For more information, contact NNSEJC@gmail.com. Lori Smetanka on Nursing Home Residents' Rights Denied In a presentation to NNSEJC members on September 17, Consumer Choice Executive Director Lori Smetanka described how residents’ rights with respect to transfers, discharges, and eviction are being denied and raised a red flag about residents’ ability to vote in the upcoming election. To view the recording of her presentation to NNSEJC, click here. |
New Resources
Adapting Your MDT to a Virtual Environment This webinar by the Elder Justice Initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice describes measures that multidisciplinary teams can take during the pandemic as they convert to online meetings. It includes tips for promoting engagement by members (e.g. online “icebreakers”) and ensuring privacy and confidentiality. See Adapting Your MDT to a Virtual Environment. The Initiative has also developed companion handouts. See companion handouts. Reframing Aging: A Primer for Health Care Professionals This webinar, presented by the Reframing Aging Initiative covers four ideas to keep in mind when talking about older people and health equity in health care settings during the pandemic. See Reframing Aging. National Elder Abuse MDT Peer Support Community The California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) and the Elder Justice Initiative (EJI) of the Department of Justice have created a peer support community to help multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) communicate. It includes a discussion board and documents library for sharing resources. To join, see MDT Peer Support. 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. |
Research & Reports
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.
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. |