Our Aging Population: Promoting Empowerment, Preventing Victimization, and Implementing Coordinated Interventions: A Report of Proceedings

• NCJ Number: 186256
• Date Published: December 2000
• Length: 313 pages
• Agencies: OJP
• Publication Type: Conference Material

Annotation

This is the report on the proceedings of a national symposium held October 30-31, 2000, in Washington, DC, to share information across disciplines about innovative ideas and programs to enhance efforts to prevent, reduce, and respond to the crime victimization of older people throughout the country.

Abstract

The disciplines represented at the symposium were public safety, social services, health care, and advocacy. The symposium was framed around three topical themes: financial exploitation and consumer fraud, elder abuse and neglect at home, and institutional abuse and neglect. Each topic was addressed in a plenary session and a number of associated workshops that focused on promising approaches of strong collaboration between the public safety and social services disciplines. In the opening plenary session, panelists indicated the importance of policymakers addressing elder victimization, thereby setting the stage for the three thematic plenaries and respective workshops. The second plenary session provided an overview of the problems of financial exploitation and consumer fraud, including their impact on society and individual victims. The third plenary session featured discussions on elder abuse and neglect at home, the forms it takes, and its impact; and the fourth plenary panel was devoted to issues associated with the abuse and neglect of older people residing in long-term care facilities. Workshops pertinent to financial exploitation and consumer fraud addressed Federal and State initiatives to educate consumers, effective interventions to address consumer fraud, innovative approaches to financial exploitation, enhancing the prosecution of financial exploitation, and combating consumer fraud through litigation. Workshops on elder abuse and neglect at home considered strengthening interventions for victims with dementia; working across systems to improve services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault; engaging law enforcement, prosecution, and the judiciary; augmenting the role of medical professionals; and enhancing victim services. Workshops on institutional abuse and neglect featured discussions of creative initiatives to educate professionals and the public, sharing resources to combat institutional abuse and neglect, enhancing the survey and regulatory process, and holding institutions accountable through prosecution. Appended agenda, participant list, a guide to featured programs, State and tribal team strategies, and tribal caucus recommendations