Elder Abuse Public Education Campaign

Grant Project Targets Abuse of Elders & People with Disabilities

The Training Grant to Stop Abuse & Sexual Assault Against Older Individuals or Individuals with Disabilities seeks to address and improve Vermont's response to violence against elders and people with disabilities by training police, prosecutors, judges, home health care and social service providers, domestic violence and sexual assault program staff and others about these issues. The principal goal of this two-year project is to train professionals who serve elderly victims and victims with disabilities to recognize and report such abuse when it occurs, and to support survivors in getting to safety and securing justice. The grant comes from the Violence Against Women Office of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Already, the Center has involved representatives from many Vermont agencies that serve elders and people with disabilities to work together on this project. Partners include: Adult Protective Services, Deaf Victim Advocacy Services, Green Mountain Self Advocates, the Criminal Justice Training Council, the Attorney General's office, the Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, the Community of Vermont Elders, Vermont Legal Aid, and the Vermont Center for Independent Living.

A Protocol Committee has interviewed survivors to identify barriers and gaps faced by elderly or disabled victims of violence; it has developed a model of how key partners can work together to address these crimes. A best practices model is being drafted to reflect these new working relationships, and the partners will be meeting in late Fall to develop a plan for their agencies. For more information about best practices, contact Larry Lewack at Barrier-Free Justice VT, 651-1355 or 1-877-213-2661 or larryl@pshift.com.

A Training Committee, comprised of experienced trainers from partner agencies, has researched and is developing curricula to train front-line staff at home health agencies and residential care providers; police; prosecutors; judges; advocates for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault; advocates and service providers for people with disabilities, the Deaf and elders; long-term care ombudsmen; and public guardians. The group has already presented a training to law enforcement in Brattleboro. Some preliminary training will be offered to helpline staff with the Area Agencies on Aging and hotline workers for Network programs, who may experience an increased volume of phone calls as a result of the Center's public education campaign for elders.

There will be a kick-off statewide training for members of all partner agencies during Crime Victims' Rights Week (April 18-24) next Spring. This exciting and interactive training will include a nationally-recognized speaker and will be followed by a series of regionally based, day-long trainings to build participants' skills for using the current system and garner feedback about best practices and how to coordinate among agencies.

This project was supported by Grant No. 98-VF-GX-K003 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.