ELDER JUSTICE

As Americans live longer and technology becomes increasingly more sophisticated, older Americans can be vulnerable to scam artists and others seeking to exploit them for financial gain. They also can be vulnerable to abuse and neglect. The negative effects of abuse, neglect, and exploitation on the independence, well-being, and health of seniors are extensive. Elder abuse increases the risk of premature death and causes unnecessary illness, injury, and suffering and can threaten the economic security of older Americans. And it impacts elders across all economic, racial and ethnic lines, regardless of where they live—at home, with families, in assisted living, and nursing homes. People living with dementia are at higher risk for abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Cognitive impairment reduces financial capacity, increasing the risk of financial exploitation. Elder abuse carries both a human cost and an economic cost. It undermines our public investments in long-term services and supports. The costs of elder abuse are borne by public programs of the federal government and the states, private businesses and most importantly, by families and individuals. The Elder Justice Act, enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act, recognizes the nation’s need to address this issue. Since 2012, the federal Elder Justice Coordinating Council, authorized by the Elder Justice Act, has brought together federal agencies to build the federal capacity to address elder abuse. Elder abuse includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse; financial exploitation; and neglect (including self-neglect). It is found in all communities and is not limited to individuals of any particular race, ethnic or cultural background or socio-economic status. Because it often is hidden and unrecognized, and because the definition of elder abuse varies from state to state, both the incidence and prevalence of elder abuse have been difficult to articulate with great confidence on the national level. In 1995, New York State legislation established the Elder Abuse Education and Outreach Program to provide education and outreach to the general public, including older persons and their families and caregivers in order to identify and prevent elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The program includes elder abuse education and outreach programs designed to support a statewide effort to increase awareness and prevention of elder abuse. To protect residents of skilled facilities, the New York State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program services are provided through a network of local ombudsman programs hosted by county based profit organizations. Each local ombudsman program has a paid coordinator who recruits, trains and supervises a corps of trained volunteers that provide a regular presence in nursing homes and adult care facilities. The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program serves as an advocate and resource for the more than 160,000 older adults and persons with disabilities who reside in New York’s long-term care facilities. Ombudsmen help residents and their families understand and exercise their rights to quality of care and quality of life. The program advocates for residents at both the individual and systems levels by receiving, investigating and resolving complaints made by or on behalf of residents, promoting the development of resident and family councils, and informing governmental agencies, providers and the general public about issues and concerns impacting residents of long-term care facilities. As the population of older Americans grows, so does the hidden problem of elder abuse, exploitation and neglect. We should continue to develop public-private partnerships, as well as partnerships with state and local-level entities, to stem the tide of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.