Welcome to the NYC Elder Abuse Center’s (NYCEAC) news and resource roundup blog, The Field Guide. We’ve selected and analyzed pertinent articles and resources relevant to elder justice professionals from late July to early September 2019. If you would like to share a news item or resource with us, please contact us at info@nyceac.com or via our Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn profiles.
Trending Topics In the News
$143 Million Lost In Online Romance Scams in The Past Year
“Reports indicate the scammers are active on dating apps, but also on social media sites that aren’t generally used for dating. For example, many people say the scam started with a Facebook message,” the Federal Trade Commission says.
New York State OVS Grants $2 Million to expand VEPT
A win for combating elder abuse! Weill Cornell Medicine & NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital have received a grant for more than $2 million from the Office of Victim Services to sustain and grow an innovative emergency department-based program that improves care for victims of elder abuse. The funds will support the Vulnerable Elder Protection Team (VEPT), a multi-disciplinary consultation service available 24/7 to assess, treat, and ensure the safety of victims of elder mistreatment.
Paving the Way to Improved Charting: Geriatric Injury Documentation Tool
Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Department of Family Medicine and Weill Cornell’s Department of Emergency Medicine collaboratively developed the Geriatric Injury Documentation Tool to help clinicians properly document physical findings during the initial medical encounter to assist with possible future elder abuse investigations.
How Groucho Marx Fell Prey to Elder Abuse
Julius Henry Marx, better known as Groucho, conquered American vaudeville, the Broadway stage, motion pictures, radio and television with his zany brothers. Later in life, his decline set the stage for elder abuse, read the PBS article to learn more.
Wisconsin Legislators Introduce Bills to Combat Elder Abuse
Two legislators introduced a package of legislation that would combat elder abuse by increasing the criminal penalties and allowing financial advisers and bankers to delay seniors’ questionable transactions. Read the article to learn more.
Research, Resources & Policy
In each Field Guide, we feature a roundup of new and relevant resources, research and policy for elder justice practitioners.
ABA Develops New EAFRT Website
Check out the ABA’s new Elder Abuse Fatality and Review Team’s (EAFRT) website! EAFRTs examine deaths of individuals that may be caused or related to elder abuse for the purpose of identifying system gaps and improving victim services.
Elder Justice Neighborhood Map
Don’t know where to find elder abuse resources in your state? The DOJ’s Elder Justice Initiative created the Elder Justice Neighborhood Map to easily locate elder abuse resources and services near you. Simply select your state from the drop down and you’ll be connected to information on local resources such as APS, legal aid, counseling, and sexual assault/domestic violence programs.
Addressing Elder Abuse: A Toolkit for Developing a Coordinated Community Response
Collaboration & collective action strengthen our ability to prevent & respond to elder abuse. The Government of Alberta released a toolkit to support communities in developing a multidisciplinary, coordinated community response. Follow the title link for a complete overview of the toolkit.
Everyone wants to feel connected and loved. Regardless of our age or how we meet new people, we should all feel safe while looking for someone special. The Sweetheart Scam is a scheme that can be perpetrated online or in-person. The person perpetrating the scam convinces someone that they are in love, using the emotion to bilk money from the unsuspecting person—oftentimes an isolated older person. Here are some individual and collective actions we can all take to help protect our financial security.
Elder Abuse Resource Roadmap: Financial
There are many types of financial harm, and it can be difficult to know what to do when this happens to you, or someone you know. Answer a few questions and the Resource Roadmap will help you quickly find the right reporting agency.
Countering Ageism
Elder abuse has roots in ageism. NYCEAC is committed to changing the way aging is perceived. For more information about ageism and to view additional resources, please visit our Countering Ageism webpage. These are some of the items we read that confront ageism prejudices.
The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders!
A HEARTWARMING story to start your day! The servers at The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders, a series of pop-up restaurants in Tokyo, are all living with dementia. “It’s OK if my order was wrong. It tastes so good anyway.” We hope this feeling of openness and understanding will spread across Japan and through the world in efforts to combat ageism.
How to Counter Ageism in a Job Interview
Sanjiv was in his late fifties when he interviewed for an executive position. Afterwards, he was told by the interviewer that they were looking for “younger minds.”Age discrimination happens in the workforce more often than you think. Here are some tips on how to counter ageism in a job interview.
Positive Attitudes About Aging May Pay Off in Better Health
Research into the mind-body connection shows that attitude is everything when it comes to healthy aging. Using subliminal messages to shift attitudes about aging from negative to upbeat might just pay off in better health. Changing ageist mentalities also helps prevent elder abuse.
Addressing and Removing Ageist Stereotypes in the Work Place
“I believe one of the reasons that ageism is so pervasive in the workplace is the abundance of unfounded stereotypes about workers over the age of 50. These stereotypes often paint older workers as technologically incompetent, stubborn and dead set against any kind of professional development. To be frank, these stereotypes are total nonsense.”
Conferences, Webinars, Trainings & Events
Find upcoming events for elder justice professionals on our regularly updated online Events Calendar.
– By NYCEAC’s Elder Justice Dispatch Team
