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
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CEJC has revamped its website to bring you updates on critical issues and emerging trends, thought-provoking analyses, and resources we think you'll find valuable. Take a few minutes to browse and let us know what you think. Be sure to check out:
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News & Updates |
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CEJC News
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Changing of the Guard: CEJC Elects New Officers
As Molly Davies passes the gavel to CEJC's new Chair, Carol Sewell, it is the perfect time to acknowledge their extraordinary leadership. Molly Davies is a founding CEJC member and personifies the spirit and grit that propelled this grassroots movement. She was instrumental in establishing a firm foundation for CEJC by helping to secure its first fiscal sponsor, Wise & Healthy Aging, and later transitioning to its current fiscal sponsor, Community Partners. During her tenure, Molly also chaired the California Long Term Care Ombudsman Association (CLTCOA), forging a strong and enduring alliance between the two organization. She is a gifted program developer, pioneering such innovations as one of the county's first support groups for victims of financial abuse and scams. CEJC's Steering Committee looks forward to Molly's continued participation as Immediate Past Chair. Carol Sewell, Policy Director of the California Commission on Aging (CCoA) has spearheaded many of CEJC's most notable policy achievements. She has been instrumental in strengthening APS leadership and training, securing new resources for victim services, and preserving mental health resources for seniors. Under her leadership, CEJC works closely with CCoA to heighten awareness about elder justice among thought leaders, stakeholders, and policy makers in the long term services and support (LTSS), disability rights, and victim rights networks. Also joining the leadership team is Donna Benton, Research Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, who serves as CEJC's Vice Chair. Donna is a member of the California Task Force on Family Caregiving, has served on the Steering Committee since January 2017, and previously chaired CEJC’s Subcommittee on Caregiving and Elder Abuse. She has been actively involved in elder abuse prevention, caregiving, and aging issues at the local, state, and national levels for decades and conducted pioneering research on elder abuse, including one of the nation's first cross cultural comparisons of victims' perceptions of abuse. |
National News
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VOCA Funds for States at All-Time High
The Department of Justice has awarded more than $3.4 billion to fund thousands of local victim assistance programs across the country and to help compensate victims in every state for crime-related losses. Distributed through two grant programs administered by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) the awards surpass every other single-year grant award in the program’s 34-year history. Most of the funds – more than $3.3 billion – are being awarded to states under the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Victim Assistance Formula Grant Program and will support local government and community-based victim services. In 2017, VOCA grants funded more than 6,700 local organizations across the country. Over the last two years, VOCA-funded programs have reached more than 5.2 million victims, including victims of elder abuse, providing services ranging from emergency shelter and transportation to crisis counseling, long-term therapy, and civil legal assistance. For more, see:
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California News
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California to Pilot New Project to Strengthen APS Workforce
California has received a 3-year grant from the Administration for Community Living to launch the "APS Leaders Institute."A core feature is a stipend program to encourage graduate social work students to pursue careers in APS. The project draws from a model that has been used successfully to attract social workers to child welfare. The Institute will be operated by San Diego State University in close collaboration with CDSS. For more, see ACL Awards Grants to 14 State Adult Protective Services Systems. |
State News, Other States
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New York Scores $8.4 Million for Victims of Financial Exploitation
In August, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced $8.4 million in state and federal funding to improve and expand services for vulnerable adults at risk of abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. Developed by the state Office of Victim Services and state Office for the Aging, the "Elder Abuse Interventions and Enhanced Multidisciplinary Teams Initiative" will fund 23 existing multidisciplinary teams currently targeting elder abuse and establish additional teams. The goal is to serve every county in the state by the fall of 2020. |
Reports
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Understanding Romance Fraud: Insights from Domestic Violence Research
In this article that appeared in March 2018 edition of The British Journal of Criminology, researchers Cassandra Cross, Molly Dragiewicz, and Kelly Richards make the case that "thinking through domestic violence and romance fraud together offers potential benefits to both bodies of research." Drawing from interviews with 21 Australian romance fraud victims, they show how offenders use non-violent tactics to ensure compliance with ongoing demands for money, identifying similarities and differences between domestic violence and romance fraud. See Understanding Romance Fraud: Insights from Domestic Violence Research. |
New Resources
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CDSS Releases Online Training For Mandated Reporters
The California Department of Social Services has released a new online course to help mandated reporters understand how, when and where to report suspected abuse or neglect and what to expect. The 90-minute course was developed by DSS by the Academy of Professional Excellence at San Diego State University’s School of Social Work. It is part of Project MASTER (Multi-disciplinary Adult Services Training and Evaluation for Results). Mandated reporters include those responsible for the care or custody of elders or dependent adults. |
Media Watch
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"Academic Rigor, Journalistic Flair": Publication Focuses on Elder Justice
That is the tag line for The Conversation, an independent, non-profit publication, that arose "out of deep-seated concerns for the fading quality of our public discourse – and recognition of the vital role that academic experts can play in the public arena." The publication emerged from a global network that got started in Australia in 2011 and began operating in the US in 2014 with the introduction of The Conversation US, which produces and shares articles at no charge to news organizations in hopes of strengthening under-resourced news organizations. The Associated Press distributes its articles to thousands of newsrooms daily and Conversation US articles were read over 76 million times in 2017, in every state of the union. Today, The Conversation US has relationships with scholars at more than 625 colleges and universities, and has published more than 6,000 articles since launch, with tens of thousands of readers for every article. The Conversation has increasingly focused on elder abuse and other aging issues. Examples include a recent series of articles by consumer law expert Jeff Sovern, a law professor at St. John's University, defending the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: • Mick Mulvaney turned the CFPB from a forceful consumer watchdog into a do-nothing government cog • Why we need to save the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau |
Visit our September/October News & Updates pages for more, including the following additional articles:
CEJC News
CEJC News
- CEJC Hosts Member Meeting
- National Advocates Academy Webinar: Focus on Elder Homelessness
- Advocates Resist Threats to Mental Health Resources for Elders, Communities of Color
- From the Elder Justice Coalition (EJC): FY 2019 Budget Maintains Increases
- Justice in Aging Warns of New Threats to Older Immigrants
- UN Announces Theme of 2018 International Day for Older Persons
- Elder Justice "No Harm" Newsletter
- CFPB Blog on Credit Freeze Law
- Call for Public Comments: Integrating Social Needs into Health Care