Reinforcing California's Elder Justice Infrastructure: Committing to Equity and Inclusion

Reinforcing California’s Elder Justice Infrastructure: Committing to Equity and Inclusion is the third in a series of blueprints. It follows Improving California’s Response to Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation: A Blueprint (2011) and From Blueprint to Benchmarks: Building a Framework for Elder Justice (2016), both available on this page.  This 2023 Blueprint addresses the impact of COVID-19 for older Californians, responds to calls for reimagining community safety prompted by the national racial reckoning, and describes disparities in access to protective and supportive services. It details CEJC’s progress in achieving goals set in the previous blueprints and highlights new opportunities.

Principles of Elder Justice

In the nearly 13 years since CEJC leaders first came together to explore barriers to elder abuse prevention, they have solicited the insights and ideas of stakeholders and opinion leaders from multiple disciplines across the state, resulting in a broader focus on elder justice. Although elder abuse prevention remains core, CEJC and its partners recognize that abuse does not occur in a vacuum and cannot be prevented without a firm foundation of support services, legal options, fair distribution of resources, attention to the rights of people with cognitive impairments, and accountability. This broader vision is reflected in these principles. CEJC's Principles were most recently updated in 2021 to underscore our long-standing commitment to equity and justice as we reimagine public safety to reflect the lived experiences of all older Californians and to hold institutions accountable. 

Ensuring Elder Justice in California's Master Plan for Aging: Recommendations

CEJC’s recommendations for the MPA highlight individual rights and social justice, including the right live free of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. It prioritized four goals:

1. Provide a "No Wrong Door" approach for reporting elder/dependent adult abuse so that all cases are investigated and responded to.
2. All older adults have the opportunity to complete advanced directives to protect their autonomy and personal choices.
3. Assure that individuals with dementia and cognitive impairments have supports and representation in decision making and managing their care.
4. Sound policy that protects all aging Californians with particular focus on those who are at highest risk of homelessness, neglect, poverty, disability, and abuse.

For more on CEJC’s MPA priorities, go to Action Alert: CEJC Recommendations for California’s Master Plan for Aging

From Blueprint to Benchmarks: Building a Framework for Elder Justice

From Blueprint to Benchmarks: Building A Framework for Elder Justice (B2B) builds on the successes achieved since Improving California’s Response to Elder Abuse, Neglect and Exploitationto date and proposes attainable goals for the future.We welcome you to use B2B to:

• Guide your work with abused and vulnerable elders
• Assist you to design new programs and expand existing programs by identifying unmet needs and justifying funding proposals
• Craft public policy
• Set research agendas

Caregiving Policy Brief 

CEJC’s Caregiving Subcommittee developed a policy brief describing the interface between caregiving and elder abuse and offering recommendations for supporting caregivers and preventing abuse.
To view the policy brief click here.

LTSS Action Plan 

Educating Elder Justice Professionals About Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS): An Action Plan draws from the insights and experiences of experts and stakeholders in the elder justice and LTSS networks to offer concrete recommendations for ensuring justice and fairness to LTSS consumers.

Improving California's Response to Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation

Improving California’s Response to Elder Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation represents over two years of exploration and discussions by advocates, service providers, experts in elder abuse prevention and related fields, and others with an interest in ensuring justice, safety, and security for older adults. It drew from the findings from the first state summit on elder abuse, held in April of 2010, an environmental scan that was conducted to gather the collective knowledge about abuse and related topics, and discussions with the leaders of state agencies, professional associations, and advocacy groups.