ELDER ABUSE SUMMIT SETS AGENDA

"Elder abuse and neglect deserve an organized national focus. The graying of America demands that there be a concerted effort to deal with these pervasive problems." With these words, Sara Aravanis, director of the National Center on Elder Abuse, convened the First National Summit on Elder Abuse, in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4, 2001. The summit brought 75 key national leaders together to create a national action agenda on elder abuse, which will serve as a blueprint for addressing the needs of abused and at-risk elders living in both community settings and institutions.

Aravanis explained that although elder abuse is generally acknowledged as a societal problem, there has been no coordinated national effort to address the issue. Federal funding has been scant when compared to funding for other types of abuse prevention programs.

ENLARGE THE PIE
Ricker Hamilton, protective program administrator at the Department of Human Services, Maine Bureau of Elder and Adult Services, said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has stated that federal dollars are distributed unevenly for abuse programs. Currently, he said, elder abuse programs receive .08% of federal dollars targeted at preventing abuse, whereas child abuse programs receive 93.35% and those serving victims of domestic violence receive 6.7%. Noting that older Americas constitute about 13% of the U.S. population--a percentage projected to double by 2030--Hamilton said it is appropriate to "enlarge the pie" and allocate more funding for elder abuse programs without taking away from any of the other groups.

Robert B. Blancato

Robert B. Blancato, president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (NCPEA), based in Washington, D.C., noted that despite important developments in the past 20 years, "There has been little progress in adopting a national policy on elder abuse." Perhaps the most important development, he said, was the addition of Title VII to the Older Americans Act, which provides funds to states for activities for the prevention of elder abuse, including professional training programs, service coordination, technical assistance to service providers, and public education. Total funding for this program in 2002 is only $3.5 million, he said.

Another important source of funding for elder abuse is the federal Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), which provides grants to states for child and adult protective services (APS) as well as other services for elders, children, people with disabilities and those with low incomes. Blancato added that more than 30 states use a portion of their SSBG funds for APS, with most also designating APS as the entity responsible for investigating and responding to reports of abuse that are received under laws for the reporting of elder abuse. Other federal funds that are increasingly used to aid victims of abuse are the Victims of Crime Act and the Violence Against Women Act programs. "But taken together, these programs are vastly inadequate to meet the need. Because they are under the aegis of different administrative entities, they are fragmented and poorly coordinated," he stated.

HOMELAND SECURITY
Blancato, who was executive director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, stressed that advocates dealing with elder abuse "must become more sophisticated in finding opportunities to elevate the issue, and they must find champions among elected officials who can help them take advantage of these opportunities." He noted, "Even in today's climate, where the war against terrorism seems to overshadow all else, opportunities are presenting themselves."

For example, he said, shortly after the release of President Bush's 2003 budget, which included no increase in SSBG funding, the president reached an agreement with Congress on a new version of his faith-based initiative. The measure calls for a $275 million increase in SSBG funds, raising the level from the current $1.7 billion to $1.95 billion by next fiscal year and to $2.38 billion by the following fiscal year. "With resources now being tied to homeland security, advocates of elder abuse prevention need to convey the message that all people, including society's most vulnerable members, have a right to feel secure in their own homes," Blancato emphasized.

The invited experts from around the United States included researchers, trainers in handling elder abuse cases, and authorities in aging, law enforcement, prosecution, healthcare, social services and related fields. Aravanis said that interest in elder abuse is high among federal agencies, that public and professional awareness of elder abuse is growing, and that the field of elder abuse has matured to a point where professionals who deal with elder abuse issues feel the time has come for a nationally coordinated public-policy effort to deal with this growing concern.

In addition to a professional interest in elder abuse and neglect, many of the participants expressed awareness that elder abuse and neglect could happen to anyone, even their parents or, in the future, themselves.

Aravanis said that to ensure the agenda of the summit is brought to life, a task force is being appointed and charged with meeting regularly to oversee post-summit dissemination and implementation efforts. Also, a group of federal, state and local officials; members of national professional organizations; and other key stakeholders will help carry out the agenda.

For more information on the summit and the action plans for each recommendation, see the website for the National Center on Elder Abuse at www.elderabusecenter.org. Also, visit the NCPEA website, www.preventelderabuse.org.

Mary Joy Quinn directs the Probate Department in the San Francisco Superior Court and was a summit participant.

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