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The National Adult Protective Services Resource Center (NAPSRC) is a function of the US Administration on Aging through a grant to the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA).
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National Adult Protective Services Resource Center
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JOIN THE NAPSRC
MAILING LIST!
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Searching for Evidence-based APS Practices
The NAPSRC, along with partner the National Council on Crime & Delinquency, is gathering information on evidence-based practice in adult protective services.
Evidence-based practice considers approaches that have used the scientific method to evaluate outcomes and are based on observable and measurable data.
If you are aware of an evidence-based practice in APS that you would like to share, we would like to hear from you. Contact us at napsrc@apsnetwork.org.
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Needs Assessment from NAPSRC
The National Adult Protective Services Resource Center will begin a needs assessment in the coming days. The purpose of the survey is to conduct a baseline survey, of the technical assistance and information needs of APS programs, as they relate to Center objectives, and provide a needs assessment analysis to the Center.
NAPSRC staff will be contacting each state APS administrator by phone to administer the brief survey. Please contact nasprc@apsnetwork.org for additional information.
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NAPSRC Webinar Recap:
Worker Safety for the APS Supervisor
The NAPSRC held a webinar March 21st on APS professional safety geared toward those in the supervisor role. The webinar registration quickly reached 500, demonstrating the need for safety training in the field. Speaker Dan Elliot of IMPACT Safety, a program of Lifecare Alliance in Columbus, OH provided an overview of how to keep yourself safe in the home while conducting a proper investigation. A recording of the webinar will soon be available on the NAPSRC webpage.  |
| New Research to Practice (R2P) Brief
The Research to Practice series from the NAPSRC is a product of the NAPSA-NCPEA Research Committee. The purpose of this research summary is to provide direct access to findings in order to enhance practice and clarify policy choices.
This brief, titled The Study of Sexual Abuse of Vulnerable Adults in Care Facilities, summarizes a recent webinar on the topic.
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CONFERENCE CALENDAR
Alabama Gerontological Society 31st Annual Conference April 11-13, 2012 The Westin-Huntsville * 7th Annual New York City Elder Abuse Conference May 23, 2012 The New School * Virginia Coalition for the Prevention of Elder Abuse May 30 - June 1, 2012 Virginia Beach Resort & Conference Center
* National Adult Protective Services Association Annual Conference October 16-18, 2012 Phoenix, Arizona |
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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Assistant Secretary for Aging Makes Elder Abuse a Priority
Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee reconfirmed her commitment to fomenting a national response to elder abuse at the American Society on Aging Conference in Washington, DC on Thursday, March 29.
Greenlee held up a US Government Accountability Office report on elder abuse and APS (which the National Adult Protective Services Association requested of US Senator Herb Kohl to initiate) and called it "her business card." After reading the title of the report, Elder Justice: Stronger Federal Leadership Could Enhance National Response to Elder Abuse, Secretary Greenlee announced, "I'm in! Are you in?" She finished her speech, which included an overview of the US Administration on Aging's budget and priorities, with her vision for the Aging Network. Her final point was "homework" for the 3,000 attendees, which suggested they go home and ask themselves three questions:
- Are any of the older people they serve victims of elder abuse (after pointing out the 14.1% of seniors are abuse, neglected or exploited)?
- Do they know who those victims are?
- Do they know what those victims need?
Greenlee said if all the people in attendance did that, we would have a national response to elder abuse. In her closing words she asked the audience to join her in committing to address elder abuse, after which she received a standing ovation.
Also this week, five Senators (Blumenthal, Casey, Kohl, Manchin and Sanders) spoke about the need to protect elder abuse victims and prosecute elder abusers at a Capital Hill briefing about reauthorization of the Older Americans Act.
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APS Baseline Survey Complete
The NAPSRC's comprehensive survey of State APS Programs is complete. Forty-nine of the 50 states and the District of Columbia have submitted their data, with the 50th state working on their's. NAPSRC partner NASUAD administered the survey and is now analyzing the data and writing up the results.
Some very preliminary findings (please note: these are subject to change as the final data come in): - Almost nine in ten (87%) programs have seen the number of reports and caseloads increase in the past five years.
- Almost half of the reporting states have had reductions in APS staff in the past five years.
- Two-thirds of states have state-administered APS programs; i.e. employees are all state employees. Seven states are county-administered, and ten states administer the program differently.
- Just over one-third of APS programs are in the State Unit on Aging, and over half are in state departments of human or social services.
- In about a third of the states, APS investigators and supervisors work in other programs in addition to APS (child protective, aging or disability services).
- Seventy-one percent of APS Programs (35 states) serve all vulnerable adults age 18 and above; 4% (2) serve persons with disabilities aged 18-59 only, and 14% (7) serve older victims only.
- All APS programs investigate abuse, neglect and exploitation in community settings, and from 45% - 69% investigate in some facility settings.
- Forty-six states mandate reporting to APS.
- A significant majority of states a) triage reports at intake; b) maintain regular contact with the client during the case; and c) are required to report at least some cases to law enforcement.
- At least 32 states report that APS participates in multi-disciplinary teams, 80% of which operate with no funding.
Be on the lookout for additional data from this survey in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Quinn NAPSRC Director
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| Ask CFPB From the Consumer Finanical Protection Bureau
The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently launched Ask CFPB, a new interactive online tool that will help consumers find answers to their basic financial questions, at ConsumerFinance.gov/askcfpb.
Ask CFPB lets consumers find answers by searching, or by navigating by category, like "Credit Card" or "Mortgage," or topic, like "fees" or "closing."
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| APS Listserv Now Live
The NAPSRC listserv is now live! The listserv is a fantastic way to get peer support on a variety of APS related topics. For those who are unfamiliar with listservs, you may want to read this article for a brief introduction.
Recent listserv posts have involved elder abuse and elder friendly courts, how APS is provides services in the face of shrinking budgets and emergency placement of APS clients.
Subscription to the listserv is restricted to administrative or front-line professionals involved in the investigation of abuse, neglect and/or exploitation of vulnerable adults. The listserv is private and only subscribers can receive, send, and/or retrieve messages to it. To sign-up for the listserv, send an email with your name, title, and agency to napsrc@apsnetwork.org.
For more information on the listserv, visit NAPSRC Listserv Rules & Etiquette.
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US Administration on Aging Releases Profile of Older Americans: 2011
Each year, the US Administration on Aging (AoA) compiles a summary of the latest statistics on individuals 65 years or older across 15 topical areas including income, poverty, employment, health, disability, and caregiving. This report has now been updated to reflect the most recent year for which data is available, 2010. Highlights from the 2011 report include:
- The older population (65+) numbered 40.4 million in 2010, an increase of 5.4 million or 15.3% since 2000.
- The number of Americans aged 45-64 - who will reach 65 over the next two decades - increased by 31% during this decade.
- Over one in every eight, or 13.1%, of the population is an older American.
- About 29% (11.3 million) of non-institutionalized older persons live alone (8.1 million women, 3.2 million men).
- Almost half of older women (47%) age 75+ live alone.
- The median income of older persons in 2010 was $25,704 for males and $15,072 for females. Median money income (after adjusting for inflation) of all households headed by older people fell 1.5% (not statistically significant) from 2009 to 2010. Households containing families headed by persons 65+ reported a median income in 2010 of $45,763.
- The major sources of income as reported by older persons in 2009 were Social Security (reported by 87% of older persons), income from assets (reported by 53%), private pensions (reported by 28%), government employee pensions (reported by 14%), and earnings (reported by 26%).
To view this new report, please visit AoA's report web page.
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Do you have...
- An initiative you're especially proud of?
- An event or conference, training, public awareness effort which you'd like to publicize?
- A recent success story you'd like to share with your APS colleagues?
Please email your information to us at napsrc@apsnetwork.org and we'll add it to a future newsletter if possible.
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