Program objective

To support activities to develop, strengthen, and carry out programs for the prevention, detection, assessment, and treatment of, intervention in, investigation of, and response to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation (including financial exploitation), including: (1) providing for public education and outreach to identify and prevent elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (2) providing for public education and outreach to promote financial literacy and prevent identity theft and financial exploitation of older individuals; (3) ensuring the coordination of services provided by area agencies on aging with services instituted under the State adult protection service program, State and local law enforcement systems, and courts of competent jurisdiction; (4) promoting the development of information and data systems, including elder abuse reporting systems, to quantify the extent of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in the State; (5) conducting analysis of State information concerning elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation and identifying unmet service, enforcement, or intervention needs; (6) conducting training for individuals, professionals, and paraprofessionals, in relevant fields on the identification, prevention, and treatment of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, with particular focus on prevention and enhancement of self determination and autonomy; (7) providing technical assistance to programs that provide or have the potential to provide services for victims of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation and for family members of the victims; (8) conducting special and on going training for individuals involved in serving victims of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, on the topics of self determination, individual rights, State and Federal requirements concerning confidentiality, and other topics determined by a State agency to be appropriate; (9) promoting the development of an elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation system; (10) examining various types of shelters serving older individuals (in this paragraph referred to as safe havens), and testing various safe haven models for establishing safe havens (at home or elsewhere), that recognize autonomy and self-determination, and fully protect the due process rights of older individuals; and (11) supporting multidisciplinary elder justice activities.