Government Reports

Elder abuse has been the subject of numerous Congressional reports and testimony. Key questions have also been explored by the Government Accountability Office. Several Federal Departments and Programs have collected information on elder abuse or related topics. A compilation of publications is shown below.

Elder Justice Roadmap Project Report

Given the widespread health, legal, social and economic implications of elder abuse, the Elder Justice Roadmap Project sought the input of experts and stakeholders from across the country in order to develop a strategic resource—by the field and for the field—to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The report identifies and prioritizes actions that direct service providers, educators, and researchers can take to benefit older adults facing abuse, neglect or financial exploitation. Likewise, it provides a roadmap for strategic investment and engagement by policymakers in both the public and private sectors to advance our collective efforts to prevent and combat elder abuse at the local, state and national levels.

2014 Elder Justice Roadmap Report: 2015 Update on Its Impact

In 2014, The Elder Justice Roadmap Report (PDF) was disseminated for use as a strategic planning guide. This Impact Update highlights some of the many deliverables that resulted from the Roadmap.

Direct Services

• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will release an advisory to help financial institutions prevent, recognize and report elder financial exploitation
• The National Center on Elder Abuse created a factsheet (PDF) and flowchart (PDF) on the capabilities of Adult Protective Services (APS) (a collaboration with National Adult Protective Services Association)
• ACL Draft Voluntary Consensus Guidelines for State APS Systems

Policy

• Elder justice focus at the 2015 White House Conference on Aging
• Ohio created a law that requires each county APS program establishes "an interdisciplinary team to coordinate prevention, reporting, and treatment activities designed to address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation"
• Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon is doing planning on the state level using the Roadmap
• Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Teams: Planning for the Future (PDF) monograph (collaboration with NYC Elder Abuse Center, The Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging, and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale)

Education

• Elder Investment Fraud and Financial Exploitation Prevention Program  Legal (EIFFE Prevention Program Legal) (collaboration with American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging, Investor Protection Trust, Investor Protection Institute, North American Securities Administrators Association, and state securities regulators' offices and state bar associations)
• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is developing elder abuse and financial exploitation training for their agents (Collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Service and the Internal Revenue Service).
• trea.usc.edu, an online database of elder abuse related training resources for professionals, caregivers and the community

Research

• DOJ's National Institute of Justice and its Elder Justice Initiative funds research to evaluate potential means to avoid and respond to elder mistreatment
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released research briefs on the Elder Abuse Prevention Interventions Pilot Programs
• National Institutes of Health held a Multiple Approaches to Understanding and Preventing Elder Abuse and Mistreatment workshop on October 30, 2015.

This Impact Update may be used for publication on listserves and organizational electronic newsletters. If you would like to contribute activities influenced by the Roadmap, please send them to ncea-info@aoa.hhs.gov.

Congressional Reports and Surveys

U.S. Government Accountability Office

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits agency operations, investigates allegations of illegal/improper activities, reports on government program and policy performance, provides policy analyses for congressional consideration, and issues legal decisions and opinions, The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency that conducts research at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or as mandated by public laws or committee reports.

• Elder Abuse
• Nursing Home Abuse
• Adult Protective Services
• Guardianship
• Domestic Violence

Congressional Research Service Reports

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, as a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress.

• Older Americans Act: Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (2009)

Congressional Research Service Reports made available by the University of North Texas Digital Library:

• Older Americans Act: Programs and Funding
• Comparison of California's Financial Information Privacy Act of 2003 with Federal Privacy Provisions
• Violence Against Women Act: History and Federal Funding (2005)
• Violence Against Women Act: History, Federal Funding, and Reauthorizing Legislation (2003)
• Violence Against Women Act: History, Federal Funding, and Reauthorizing Legislation (2001)
• Older Americans Act: 105th Congress Issues
• The Schiavo Case: Legal Issues
• United Nations System Efforts to Address Violence Against Women
• International Violence Against Women: U.S. Response and Policy Issues
• Welfare Law and Domestic Violence (2003)
• Welfare Law and Domestic Violence (2002)
• Welfare Law and Domestic Violence (2001)

Federal Agency Reports and Publications

National Institute of Justice

The National Institute of Justice—the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice—is dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. NIJ provides objective and independent knowledge and tools to reduce crime and promote justice, particularly at the state and local levels.

• Elder Abuse
• Intimate Partner Violence
• Violence Against Women
• Violence and Victimization

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy

The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on policy development, and is responsible for major activities in policy coordination, legislation development, strategic planning, policy research, evaluation, and economic analysis.

• Congressional Report on the Feasibility of Establishing a Uniform National Database on Elder Abuse
• Disability—Functional Limitations and Status

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

The CDC is one of the major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC"s Mission is to collaborate to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health—through health promotion, prevention of disease, injury and disability, and preparedness for new health threats.

• Violence Prevention
• Elder Abuse

Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)

OVC administers the Crime Victims Fund, which supports a broad array of programs and services that focus on helping victims in the immediate aftermath of crime and continuing to support them as they rebuild their lives. Millions of dollars are invested annually in victim compensation and assistance in every U.S. state and territory, as well as for training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building programs designed to enhance service providers’ ability to support victims of crime in communities across the nation.

• Domestic and Family Violence
• Elder Abuse/Mistreatment
• Fraud and Identity Theft

Related Resources

• NCEA Publications
• Congressional Hearings