This blog features a round up of elder justice related news items released in September 2013.

NATIONAL NEWS

Veterans Affairs Program Open to Abuse

Leaders from the Senate Special Committee on Aging and Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs say they are “deeply troubled” by the insufficient oversight of private advisors. The call for increased enforcement comes after a report released last month by the Government Accountability Office, which found the VA’s loose application of oversight to accrediting private financial planners, attorneys, insurance agents and others was leaving veterans open to abuse.

Senators Bernie Saunders, Patty Murray, Richard Burr, and Bill Nelson wrote a letter to Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, to bring attention  to this issue.

Elder Justice Coordinating Council Convenes for Third Meeting

The third meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council was presided over by Kathy Greenlee, Administrator for the Administration on Community Living with the purpose of reviewing the strategic action steps from the Federal Interagency Elder Justice Working Group’s nine proposals. The proposals were submitted in the spring and focus on ways to advance federal involvement in the prevention, detection, and prosecution of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS (NEW YORK STATE AND NEW YORK CITY)

New York State Received Failing Grade on Nursing Homes Report Card

Receiving one of the lowest grades in the Northeast, New York State was graded an F on the quality of overall nursing home services and care. To view the full report card, click here.

Older Voters Release Questionnaire for NYC Mayoral Candidates on Elder Abuse

The Council of Senior Centers and Services (CSCS) released a questionnaire to candidates in the mayoral, public advocate, comptroller, and borough president races to help present voters with useful information about each candidate’s knowledge and support for aging and elder abuse prevention related issues.

• Bobbie Sackman, CSCS’s Director of Public Policy and an NYCEAC partner said, “The next mayor will have the responsibility to develop programs and policies to ensure that older New Yorkers can age in place in their homes and communities with dignity.”

ELDER JUSTICE IN THE MEDIA

Fight Elder Financial Abuse from On Wall Street 

Through the story of a Californian elder abuse case, this piece looks at the factors which leave older adults vulnerable to elder financial abuse and ways to take preventative action.

RELATED STORIES

A Round-Up of Elder Justice News – August 2013

A Round-Up of Elder Justice News – July 2013

by Alexandra Pearson, Communications Specialist, NYCEAC