| The National Adult Protective Services Resource Center (NAPSRC) is a function of the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) through a grant from the US Administration on Aging.
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National Adult Protective Services Resource Center
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Further Reading about Elder Death Review Teams
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There's an App
for That!
John D. Rudnick, Jr, EdD has created an app for the iPhone with information on elder abuse. The app is available in the iTunes App Store for $1.99.
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Important Survey on Its Way
NAPSRC is distributing a critically important survey to all State APS Administrators, asking for baseline information about each APS program: administrative location, clients served, budget, staff, training provided, and data elements collected. This will provide the field with a much needed comprehensive overview of APS as it exists in 2012. Next year we plan to conduct the same survey of county APS programs in the states where APS is county administered.
Administrators: Please complete and return the survey for your state! Thank you!
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HHS Releases Draft Framework For National Alzheimer's Plan
Jan. 9, 2012
The Alzheimer's Association believes the "Draft Framework for the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease" released today by the Department of Health and Human Services offers a comprehensive outline of goals and strategies that must be addressed in the nation's first ever strategic plan for Alzheimer's. Click here for the press release and here for detailed information. - from AGING POLICY/PUBLIC HEALTH NEWS from Health Benefits ABCs |
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The National Adult Protective Services Resource Center (NAPSRC) is a project (Grant No. 90ER0002/01) of the U.S. Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), administered by the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA). Grantees carrying out projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Therefore, points of view or opinions do not necessarily represent official Administration on Aging or DHHS policy.
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Elder Death Review Teams:
A National Perspective
In December of last year, NAPSRC and US Administration on Aging staff were invited to attend a meeting in Washington, DC to discuss elder death review teams. The meeting, Improving Outcomes Across the Life Course Through Fatality Reviews, was convened by the National Center for the Review & Prevention of Child Deaths. Attendees represented death review teams across the life spectrum from teams focusing on fetal mortality to older adult deaths.
Child death review teams have been in existence for well over two decades and domestic violence death review teams for the past 15 years. The purpose of multi-disciplinary death review teams is to identify the factors which led to premature deaths, and to implement changes in systems to prevent other such deaths in the future. In the case of child review teams, over 50,000 changes, such as placing infants on their backs, have been implemented to protect children from accidental deaths as well as fatalities resulting from abuse and neglect.
Older people die at higher rates; however, it is becoming increasingly clear that elder abuse, neglect and exploitation leads to many premature deaths. Research by Lachs* has established that elder abuse carries a 300% or greater risk of mortality.
Elder fatality review teams are slowly being developed across the country. A quick inquiry in 2011 found fourteen, but more are undoubtedly underway. The American Bar Association produced an Elder Fatality Review Team Replication Manual several years ago (see link at left).
The involvement of adult protective services in crucial to the success of an elder death review team. APS professionals are in a unique position to:
- Provide background information on cases where a suspicious elder death has occurred.
- Recognize aspects of a case that could indicate abuse occurred, if the case is not reported to APS.
- Recognize perpetrator characteristics that could lead to identification of the individual responsible for an elder's death.
If you are involved in an elder death review team, NAPSRC would like to hear from you. Contact us at napsrc@apsnetwork.org and tell us your story. We may feature your program in an upcoming issue of our newsletter.
Kathleen Quinn
Director, NAPSRC
*Lachs, M. et al. (1998). The Mortality of Elder Mistreatment. Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol 280, No. 5, 428 - 432
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New Federal Agency Focusing on Elder Financial Abuse
The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has an Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans. According to the Office's website, "Older Americans face many financial challenges as they age. They have opportunities to travel, explore new fields of work or hobbies, or spend time with family and friends. But often scam artists or bad advice take away these opportunities. The Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans is here to give seniors information and tools to navigate safely through financial challenges."
The new director of the Office is Hubert "Skip" Humphrey, the former Attorney General of Minnesota. Skip and his staff have reached out to many in the elder abuse and aging communities, including NAPSA, to learn about the many forms of elder financial abuse and possible ways the new Bureau might effectively address this growing and very serious problem. For more information, visit this link.
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| Elder Abuse Shelters: A Growing Need?
Violet was an 86 year old with moderate dementia and difficulty navigating her home without the aid of a walker. She rented a room in her home to a male student who attended the local university. Violet's friends noticed changes in her behavior and bruising on her arms and neck. After an emergency room visit for a broken wrist, the concern was reported to APS, who investigated and quickly discovered Violet was being physically abused by her tenant. Violet needed to be moved quickly to a safe environment. Due to her confusion and medical needs, the local domestic violence shelter was unable to house her and provide the care and attention she required. Luckily, APS had formed a relationship with a local assisted living facility to act as an emergency shelter for abused older adults, and Violet was swiftly moved to the shelter where she was safe until a relative could come from out of town and move her to his home.
Situations such as Violet's are the reason why there appears to be growing interest in elder abuse shelters. Cases of elder abuse are growing along with the general increase in the older adult population. Traditional domestic violence shelters focus primarily on younger women of childbearing age, and cannot always accommodate an older adult who may be frail, suffer from dementia or both. Elder abuse shelters provide the services that an elder needs along with the ability to accommodate crisis situations that arise with little or no warning.
Elder abuse shelters can be a key component to an APS client's safety. Below is a brief, sample list of both urban and rural programs.
Shalom Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at Cedar Village
The Hebrew Home at Riverdale
Sunbeam Family Services
Samaritan Place - Catholic Charities of East Tennessee
Special thanks to Sally Hurme, Project Advisor at AARP for compiling the links above.
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New APS Listserv!
The National Adult Protective Services Resource Center is pleased to announce a new listserv designed for APS professionals - a place to share your ideas and concerns, and to ask questions from others in the same field of work. We hope the listserv will be a lively and informative place for APS staff, supervisors and administrators across the country to link with, support and learn from one another on how best to handle the complicated and difficult work involved in protecting vulnerable adults. To sign up, email napsrc@apsnetwork.org. Please join!
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