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CEJC Ends 2018 with A Strong Record of Accomplishments
CEJC has a lot to show for 2018! Among its accomplishments are strengthening protections for older Californians, fostering collaboration among stakeholders across the country, and spreading the word about elder justice....for more, visit January/February 2019 News & Updates.

Act Now/Weigh In

Promoting Elder Justice
Last June, CEJC released Principles of Elder Justice, which include the right to live abuse-free, to services that support independence, to equity across the life course, and more. We'd like to hear your thoughts on how to go from principles to action. What are you doing to promote justice?

Help Build our Advocates Toolkit
The National Elder Justice Academy focuses on critical emerging issues in the field. Help us build an elder justice knowledge base. Visit the Toolkit and contact us to let us know what you'd like to add.

National Advocates Academy

What's New in our Advocates Academy?

Webinars:
In Case You Missed It: What's New in Undue Influence
On November 7, 2018, CEJC hosted "What’s New in Undue Influence: Tools, Definitions, and Court Responses," a webinar highlighting the California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST). The webinar recording is available here.

Toolkit pages:
New! Opioid Crisis and Older Adults
The Trump administration has made the opioid crisis a top priority. Advocates, researchers, and service providers across the U.S. are discussing how the epidemic is affecting older Americans and new opportunities for assisting them. CEJC has launched a new Toolkit page on Opioids and the Elderly.

News & Updates

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News & Updates

National News

Lori Delagrammatikas Named New NAPSA Executive Director
Kathleen Quinn, former and Acting Director of the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA), has announced the selection of Lori Delagrammatikas as NAPSA's new Executive Director, starting January 21, 2019. Lori, who currently serves as APS Liaison for the California Department of Social Services, is a founding CEJC memeber and served on the Steering Committee. Congratulations Lori!

Public Charge Rule Change Threatens Immigrant Families
The Trump Administration has proposed a "public charge" rule change that could reduce access to programs that support health, nutrition, and economic stability by immigrants and their families. Alliance for Justice is spearheading an effort to push back on the rule change and has produced a webinar and template to help frame the issue. For more on how the rule will affect older adults go to http://www.justiceinaging.org/public-charge-and-immigrant-seniors/

Summit Highlights Rural and Tribal Elders
In November, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) of the Department of Justice (DOJ) sponsored the Rural and Tribal Elder Summit in Des Moines, Iowa, to discuss challenges to protecting the 20% of older Americans who live in rural communities. The event was part of a larger collaboration between DOJ and the Department of Agriculture to explore how geographic isolation increases vulnerability to abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Topics included the emerging role of tele-health and tele-medicine in accessing services. Houston's TEAM- Forensic Assessment Center Network, which links geriatric and elder abuse experts to APS caseworkers and their clients across the state, was among the models highlighted.

Senate Holds Hearing on Guardianship Reform
On November 28, the Senate Special Committee on Aging convened “Ensuring Trust: Strengthening State Efforts to Overhaul the Guardianship Process and Protect Older Americans.” The hearing focused on: the oversight of guardians, alternatives to guardianship, the restoration of rights, and the need for better data. The Committee released a report in conjunction with the hearing that is available here. Committee Chair Susan Collins and Ranking Member, Bob Casey have further authored the “Guardianship Accountability Act” to promote information sharing among courts, local organizations, state and federal entities; encourage the use of background checks and less restrictive alternatives to guardianship, and expand the availability of federal grants to improve the guardianship system. To watch the hearing and read statements and testimony, click here.

California News

Update on Home Safe Homelessness Prevention Pilots
The deadline has passed for Home Safe proposals to be submitted to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), which is implementing the program. Home Safe was spearheaded by the County Welfare Directors Association and co-sponsored by CEJC and the California Commission on Aging. CDSS has given extensions to 4 counties for fire-related reasons but is expecting a total of 36 proposals from APS programs around the state. It plans to announce funded projects in early January.

CALOES Funds 13 New Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Team (MDTs)
California's Office of Emergency Services has announced funding for 13 new MDTs, bringing the total to 25. The new recipients are San Mateo County; Women's Transitional Living Center, Inc; County of Yolo; Women Escaping a Violent Environment; VIP Community Mental Health Center, Inc; Foothill Family Service; Placer County District Attorney; Healthy House Within a MATCH Coalition; South Asian Helpline and Referral Agency; Lao Family Community Development, Inc; Fathers & Families of San Joaquin; County of Los Angeles; and Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa, Inc. Once again, CEJC and its partners, CDSS and the California Commission on Aging, will conduct an intensive training for currently funded and newly funded teams in April.

California Ranked Dismal 48th Among States for Elder Abuse Protections
WalletHub, a website that provides free credit scores and reports, compared abuse protections in the 50 states and DC based on multiple criteria, ranging from share of elder-abuse, neglect and exploitation complaints to financial elder-abuse laws. See States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections for the methods, results, and experts' commentaries.

State News, Other States

Ohio Stakeholders Prioritize Elder Abuse Research Needs
A newly released study by the Ohio Attorney General’s Elder Abuse Commission suggests how experts in the state would prioritize funds for elder abuse research. It is based on a survey of 459 practitioners, senior service administrators, researchers, advocates, and others across the state that asked respondents to allocate a hypothetical $1,000 for research on abuse, with respondents asked to chose among six possible research questions. Responders allocated an average of $263 for research on “What programs and policies can best prevent elder abuse before it happens?” and $227 for “What programs and policies can best serve victims after elder abuse has begun?.” The priorities were consistent among advocates and researchers and for respondents from both urban and rural regions. The Ohio Elder Abuse Commission plans to inform key stakeholders, including researchers, administrators, practitioners, policy makers, and funders about the results.

New Resources

New Tools to Assist in Financial Exploitation Investigations
Dr. Peter Lichtenberg, the director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University and colleagues have released the "Older Adult Nest Egg Tools" for evaluating older adults" decision-making abilities, psychological vulnerability, and susceptibility to exploitation. They can be used to set a baseline or immediately after suspected exploitation. It provides a score of risk and recommends next steps. For more, go to https://olderadultnestegg.com.

Media Watch

When Private Equity Firms Care for America's Vulnerable
This chilling Washington Post article describes what happens when the ManorCare nursing home chain, the second-largest in the country, was taken over by the Carlyle Group, one of the richest private-equity firms in the world. See Overdoses, Bedsores, Broken Bones.

Visit our January/February 2019 News & Updates pages for more, including the following additional articles:

CEJC News