The NYC Elder Abuse Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, in our strive to honor our commitment to the advancement of racial equity within the elder justice field, wanted to highlight individuals who are making advancements in the field. This month, we feature Betty Alexis, a leader in the elder justice field.

Betty Alexis is the Under-Care Case Manager for APS Manhattan North who works on abuse cases. In her role, she assesses clients in Manhattan who are in times of crisis and implements services to meet their needs. She has been an integral part of the Manhattan EMDT and has brought numerous complex elder abuse cases to the team’s attention. She consistently advocates for her elderly clients and promotes equity in gathering the necessary resources for all of her clients.

I believe that having a racial equity lens is critical in elder justice work because…

There is a lack of resources that are distributed to neighborhoods of color.  Professionals must work harder to locate resources for the clients and have to refer them for services outside of their neighborhoods. As a result, many will have to travel, which can be a hindrance to the elder and may cause the elder to refuse services. Once this happens, the professional will have to convince the elders that the services that are put in place are for their betterment and they need to find a way of getting to the service or have the services be brought to the elder.

One of my most vivid memory of an event that reminded me that race matters in elder abuse work is…

A case that was referred to Adult Protective Services on behalf of an elderly African American male, who was being allegedly abused. I was informed that he hadn’t been seen in weeks and the last time he was seen he was eating out of the trash can. I was then informed by those close to him that he was missing for several weeks. I asked those involved to submit a missing person’s report. I was discouraged that help took hours to arrive at the victim’s home.  The response from people who were there to serve and protect was; “It’s him again.” When I inquired about that statement, I was told it was because the victim runs away often, but usually finds his way back. I responded and said, “I am not sure as to what your history is with the client, but due to his age and medical conditions, a Silver Alert should be sent to all the precincts in the area so they can try to locate the client.”  I believe that if the victim was of a different race and lived in a different area then his history of running away would not have made a difference and a report would still have been made.

Some of the ways I contribute to racial equity in my work are…

To be an advocate and to be the voice for my elders once they become voiceless, not being able to advocate for themselves while respecting their autonomy.

My wish for all elder justice professionals as we further racial equity is…

To continue to protect the rights and advocate on behalf of the elderly, to assure that they are being treated equally and anyone who attempts to violate their rights or treat them unequally to all other races, must be brought to justice.