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:
Upcoming Webinars: Please join us for: May 19th: Telling Your Story to the Media: A Conversation with Elder Abuse Expert Shawna Reeves and Journalist Nick Leiber See Webinars & Events for more information and to register. In Case You Missed It: A recording of our March 30th webinar is now available here: April 28th: A Conversation on Applying Restorative Justice to Elder Abuse March 30th: Absent Authority: Making Conservatorship a Positive Tool of Transformation |
News & Updates |
To view the full current News & Updates and to subscribe to News & Updates emails, visit News & Updates March/April 2021.
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National News
Rescue Plan Includes $276M Emergency EJ Funds The recently signed American Rescue Act includes $276 million in emergency elder justice funding, most earmarked to expand adult protective services for addressing Covid-19 and strengthening the long-term care ombudsman program. This comes on top of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 enacted on December 27th that includes one-time, one-year funding for Elder Justice Act related programs, half of which are dedicated to Adult Protective Services. Congress Moves to Prevent VOCA Funding Cuts The recently introduced “VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021” is a bicameral, bipartisan bill to prevent cuts to already diminished Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants to states. The funds are used for compensation and services for millions of crime victims. In California, the funds are used for domestic violence shelters, hotlines, elder abuse multidisciplinary teams, legal services, and victim support groups. VOCA funds do not come from taxpayer dollars but from monetary penalties associated with federal criminal convictions, primarily for white collar crimes. The funds go into the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), which fluctuates based on the cases that the Department of Justice successfully prosecutes. The funds are currently at an historic low due in part to an increased use of deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements. The penalties associated with these agreements are deposited into the General Treasury instead of the CVF. The proposed “fix” would transfer them back into the CVF. The “VOCA Fix Act” came in response to an effort spearheaded by leading victim advocacy organizations, which sent this letter, signed by more than 1,680 organizations and government agencies, to Congress. The group also produced a toolkit for advocates. |
California News
CDA Plans EJ Coordinating Council Planning has begun for California’s version of the federal Elder Justice Coordinating Council, which was created under the Elder Justice Act of 2010. Like its national counterpart, the state council will comprise key state departments within government that have a role to play in elder justice and abuse prevention. CEJC called for the Council in its From Blueprint to Benchmarks: Building a Framework for Elder Justice and in recommendations for California’s Master Plan for Aging. CEJC and Justice in Aging are assisting in planning the launch. 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)
North Carolina 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).
NNSEJC Welcomes its Newest Member Pennsylvania’s Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts is NNSEJC's newest member. The Council was established in 2015 to assist the state’s Office of Elder Justice in the Courts ) implement best practices, judicial rules, and legislation. The 2019 Progress Report details the group’s work since its inception. Welcome! Anna Thomas joins NNSEJC's Steering Committee NNSEJC's steering Commitee is delighted to announce a new member: Anna Thomas, of the Georgia Statewide Elder Justice Initiative. Anna is a Forensic Specialist in the Forensic Special Initiatives Unit of the Georgia Department of Human Services and a member of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Crimes Against Disabled Adults and Elderly Task Force. Upcoming Meetings The next NNSEJC Membership meeting is on June 10, 2021. For more information, contact NSEJC@gmail.com. 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. |
New Resources
Cut Abuse by Half Through Social Support: A Webinar Describes How According to Ron Acierno, one of the foremost researchers in the field, the prevalence of elder abuse could potentially be reduced by half with social support. The prediction is based on findings that while elder abuse prevalence among community residing adults is 10%, the rate is cut by more than half among those who report high levels of social connection. In addition, outcome rates, which include increased anxiety and depressive disorders, are also halved among victims with high social support. The findings were explained during a recent webinar sponsored by the National Adult Protective Services Association. For the recording and handouts, see Social Support and Elder Abuse. Ensuring Equity in Aging Webinar Series Available Online In case you’ve missed any of the webinars in this California Department of Aging hosted series, they are now available on CDA’s online Equity Resource Center. The series focuses on the impacts of cultural strengths as well as historic, systemic discrimination on older Californians and showcases programs that promote equity and cultural responsiveness. |
Research & Reports
ABA Issues Briefing Paper on Guardianship Reform This publication, produced by the Commission on Law and Aging of the American Bar Association (COLA), describes Working Interdisciplinary Networks of Guardianship Stakeholders (WINGS), a model designed to assist states improve their guardianship systems and explore alternatives to guardianship. There are currently WINGS or similar programs in 25 states. In 2016, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) awarded COLA an Elder Justice Innovation Grant Award to assist in the development of WINGS in seven states: Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Idaho, Oregon, and Utah. See WINGS Briefing Paper: Advancing Guardianship Reform and Promoting Less Restrictive Options. NCEA Releases Research Roundup In recent years, the National Center on Elder Abuse has produced an annual compilation of research published in the last year. The recently released edition classifies studies into the following nine categories: (1) Financial, physical, psychological, sexual abuse and neglect, (2) multidisciplinary (3) reporting and disclosure, (4) women and elder abuse, (5) culture and ethnicity, (6) long-term care and caregivers, (7) elder abuse detection, (8) policy and intervention, (9) cognition and capacity, (10) miscellaneous research (11) other relevant research. See September 2019- August 2020 Elder Abuse Annual Research Compilation. |