Curbing Senior Abuse

The Trump administration's efforts to make senior abuse a "law and order" issue has led to critical new initiatives and allocations of resources mainly through the U.S. Department of Justice, reports National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs Executive Director Bob Blancato in Next Avenue . "The Department's previous funding of the National White Collar Crime Center, and now its efforts to create law enforcement partnerships around the country, is particularly helpful in prosecuting perpetrators," he notes. "The agency's 10 regional Elder Justice Task Forces bringing together federal, state, and local prosecutors, as well as law enforcement and other key stakeholders, are essential in the battle against a growing exploitation market." Blancato also cites efforts from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to channel funding from the Elder Justice Initiative to set up a home for Adult Protective Services (APS) and the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System, the first national APS system featuring centralized and improved data collection on senior abuse, neglect, and exploitation cases. President Trump's signing of the Senior Safe Act is also significant, as it "exempts financial institutions and their employees from liability when trained employees report potential exploitation of an older adult to a governmental agency," Blancato notes. However, he warns of the opioid epidemic as a challenge requiring local, state, and federal collaboration on solutions that will probably need additional funding to relieve cash-short APS, federal agencies, and nonprofits.