Our local efforts to prevent abuse have helped make great strides in protecting our most vulnerable elderly population. However, sometimes help is needed at a higher level. In the past decade an effort has been made at the federal level to reform the nursing home industry, address staffing needs, and so much more. In order to aid this effort, the Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC), in coordination with the Administration for Community Living and other government organizations, released their 8 recommendations for addressing elder abuse.
8 Recommendations
These eight recommendations are designed to improve response, awareness, and prevention. Hopefully, these guiding principles will help form good legislation and law that improves the lives of elderly Americans across the country. It’s important to keep in mind that we all may rely on the policies that stem from today’s awareness and advocacy work.
1) Supporting Investigation and Prosecution of Abuse
“Support the investigation and prosecution of elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation cases by providing training and resources to federal, state, and local investigators and prosecutors.”
Whether it’s investigating the use of antipsychotics, the sources of financial abuse, or the abuse of policy loopholes, in order to bring the guilty parties to justice, the support of our legislators, laws, and government organizations is vital.
2) Enhance Services to Elder Abuse Victims
The primary goal of this objective is “improving identification of elder abuse and enhancing response and outreach to victims.” Awareness of your rights and building a community of advocates could greatly enhance the services provided to victims of elder abuse.
3) Develop a National Adult Protective Services System
While there have been Adult Protective Service organizations state to state, a National Adult Protective Services System has only just begun to be developed. In fact, just this past May the first-ever regulations for an APS system were established.
4) Develop a Federal Elder Justice Research Agenda
“Establish a coordinated research agenda across federal agencies to identify best practices for
prevention of and intervention in elder abuse and elder financial exploitation.” There is plenty of research and a lot of case studies, but an effort to develop coordinated and purposeful research is still in the works.
5) Develop a Broad-Based Public Awareness Campaign
Public awareness is key. Whether it’s combatting abuse stigma, ageism, or simply just providing much-needed information, a coordinated campaign could mean the difference between the current rate of 1 in 10 abused adults and a negligible number of yearly abuse cases.
6) Cross-disciplinary Training on Elder Abuse
Essentially, cross-disciplinary training would ensure everyone involved in the nursing home and elder care industries are not only aware of the frequency of abuse, but the common causes, prevention tactics, signs of abuse, and so much more. The key is to involve and educate entire communities.
7) Combat Elder Financial Exploitation, including Abuse by Fiduciaries
One of the harder abuses to spot, financial abuse often goes undetected and justice is never sought. This is especially true for caretakers without access to financial records. This recommendation suggests preventing financial abuse by using “federal enforcement activities, policy initiatives, coordination, oversight and education, and by collaborating with industry to enhance fraud detection and provide resources for victims.”
8) Improve Screening for Dementia and Cognitive Capacity, Financial Capacity, and Financial Exploitation
This would require working with the new and improved APS, as well as other organizations to “screen for diminished capacity, diminished financial capacity, and vulnerability to or victimization of financial exploitation.” Perhaps, this would allow elderly Americans to better take advantage of programs that assist them with day-to-day living, giving them better access to resources, and making them more aware of risks.
If you or a loved one have been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, call Gharibian Law (866-747-1389) today for a FREE consultation and the best legal representation.
