Each year, hundreds of thousands of older adults report some type of abuse, ranging from physical and sexual abuse to financial victimization. But the number of victims is far higher: Legal experts say fewer than one in 20 cases of elder abuse are actually reported. To help change those figures, local legal groups are launching a new pilot program to help court personnel and others spot potential abuse.
The Elder Justice Navigator Project will work to increase awareness of elder abuse and exploitation, and to improve outcomes for older adults engaging with the courts who have experienced abuse. Funded by a two-year, $362,871 federal grant from the Administration for Community Living within the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the pilot project will begin in Chautauqua County but organizers hope to see it expand throughout the region, and elsewhere.
“The grant encompasses making web-based materials that other counties could replicate on their own, as well as funds for speaking at conferences and seminars nationwide,” said Nicole Parshall, a staff attorney with the Center for Elder Law & Justice. “The idea is that at the end of this grant after two years, we can try for more funding to go into other counties.”
The Navigator Project will provide education to the courts and community, and make legal and community-based referrals for older adults.
In addition to the Center for Elder Law & Justice, the program has buy-in from the Chautauqua County departments of social services and public health, as well as county and state legislators and the court system.
Details are set to be announced July 12 at the Chautauqua County Courthouse.
Parshall, who is helping to run the project, said the main audience for the project will be court personnel, who will have both a desk guide and materials available online to help spot elder abuse, especially in cases where that might not actually be the main issue before them. For example, an individual may be in court for a guardianship, eviction or foreclosure but there be more actually going on than meets the eye.
“Upon further inquiry or examination, the reason these things are happening may be because someone is taking advantage of the individual,” she said.
She cited national statistics that at least 10 percent of older adults experience some form of abuse, though it’s often under-reported due to fear.
“There’s a lot of fear, shame and loss of independence for older people who are abused or have been,” Parshall said. “There’s already a constant fear you might be institutionalized or someone will try to take over managing your affairs, and if you admit it, it’s even more likely.”
The group also hopes to train law enforcement personnel as well as social service providers and individuals from social service groups like Meals on Wheels and local offices for the aging.
Karen Nicolson, CEO at the Center for Elder Law & Justice, said the project demonstrates the importance of collaborations to holistically serve the growing needs of the aging population.
“Together we are bridging the education and service gaps in the justice system, law enforcement, social services, and civil legal services areas as they relate to this special population,” she said.
State Supreme Court Judge Paula Feroleto, administrative judge for the Eighth Judicial District, said the project will help ensure access to justice for New Yorkers of all backgrounds, incomes, and special needs.
“This innovative project is something that we hope to become a model for the nation,” she said.