The campaign is the culminating activity of the Victim Services 2000 Project, a five-year project funded by the Office for Victims of Crime and conducted by the Center for Crime Victim Services.

Three years ago, the VS 2000 Project conducted three statewide surveys, to assess the needs of victims of crime and the public's familiarity with existing services. Those surveys identified certain groups of people as being least likely to access services: one of which - not surprisingly - was elders. We then conducted focus groups with each of the four underserved populations (elders, people with disabilities, youth between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, and people who self-identify as minorities) to pinpoint their areas of concern and gather their suggestions for appropriate ways to reach out to these groups.

In April, 2003, after a year-long planning process, the Center selected elders as the "target population" to pilot this campaign. Because the Center is currently involved in a The public education campaign is an exciting first step toward bringing this often hidden problem into the open. comprehensive training initiative to address the needs of elderly and disabled victims of crime, it seemed logical to choose this subgroup. Hopefully, any needs for additional training and information or outreach that are identified during the campaign, or that arise as the result of increased public awareness, will be addressed, over time, through the training initiative, which is a two-year project. The statewide public education campaign will reach out to elders, their friends, families and caregivers, about types of abuse and where they can turn for help.

This past summer, the Center contracted with Mansfield Media Partners, a communications consulting firm, to help deliver its message. We selected the slogan, "Respect your Elders," which the staff of various agencies and service providers felt reflected the appropriate tone to reach the targeted audiences. The slogan will be used in a variety of media to encourage elders and their families and friends to report victimization and ask for assistance.

Sen. Patrick Leahy is our spokesperson for radio and television spots to be broadcast for a four-week period beginning in late November. The 30-second TV spot will feature the Senator, and will show vignettes simulating physical abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect of older persons. In all facets of the public education campaign, seniors and others will be directed to Adult Protective Services to report abuse, neglect or exploitation of vulnerable adults, and to the Senior HelpLine for information and referrals for services for seniors.

To ensure continuity, images from the TV spot will likely be used on a poster, in flyers and in a newspaper ad campaign. Other ways that the Center plans to create awareness among this group include inserting flyers in prescription bags at local pharmacies, placing stickers on Meals on Wheels containers, distributing brochures to senior centers, mealsites and doctors' offices, and creating magnets with important phone numbers in large type. We will also encourage weekly and daily newspapers and local television stations to develop stories about survivors and the services available to elder abuse victims.

The public education campaign is an exciting first step toward bringing this often hidden problem into the open, to make Vermonters aware of the physical abuse, abandonment, neglect and exploitation suffered by at-risk elders simply because of their age, physical limitations, or the perceived lack of viable alternatives.