Addressing Fragmentation Through an Elder Abuse Network: The New York City Experience

Abstract

As in many municipalities, New York City's approach to elder abuse is fragmented. Different funding streams and legislative mandates seeking to address elder abuse have created separate systems with divergent goals, priorities, and views. In addition, the lack of mandatory reporting requirements has created an environment in which little or no data about elder abuse are exchanged among agencies, and there is no unified approach to advocacy, worker training, public education, and outreach. Adding to the problem, there has been tremendous growth and specialization in victim services over the last two decades. Professionals in many fields outside of law enforcement, prosecution, victim services, and the courts-fields traditionally concerned with elder abuse-are not connected to the elder abuse system although they increasingly encounter cases of such abuse, neglect, exploitation, and domestic violence requiring an immediate and appropriate response. This article is about The New York City Elder Abuse Network1 (NYCEAN), formed in 2006 to address fragmentation and lack of a unified approach by (a) facilitating linkages among police, prosecutors, providers of direct elder abuse services (e.g., legal and victims' services), and providers of supportive services needed by older victims, and (b) offering opportunities for cross-disciplinary case consultation, information sharing, and sharing of different approaches and perspectives. The genesis of NYCEAN, however, can be traced back through more than 20 years of partnership initiatives by the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA, or the department) with a variety of stakeholders in elder abuse prevention, services, law enforcement, and prosecution. These efforts brought together informally many of the organizations currently constituting the network and laid the groundwork for its formation. Between 1984 and 1996, the department provided leadership for a coalition of enforcement personnel, prosecutors, and social workers in social service agencies who met monthly to discuss legislation, plan prevention, and advocacy activities and share information across disciplines. DFTA's interest in promoting greater coordination across agencies was propelled by its Elderly Crime Victims Resource Center, established in 1979. The coalition never developed the infrastructure that would enable it to become a self-sustaining body, however, and when the DFTA staffer who provided the sole leadership was no longer available to carry the major share of the work, the coalition disbanded. Nevertheless, contact among individual member organizations continued on issues of common concern, and several former members hosted case consultation groups that, meeting periodically, also kept relationships alive. In 2003, DFTA again reached out to elder abuse stakeholders working in a variety of settings, including social services, domestic violence programs, academia, law enforcement, and New York City government. DFTA invited them to participate on an advisory committee that would provide direction to the creation of a training curriculum for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and relevant court personnel. The curriculum would cover the signs and symptoms of physical abuse, mental abuse, and financial exploitation of the elderly and the most effective approaches to ensure the prosecution of these crimes. DFTA had received a 2-year grant from the Department of Justice to develop the curriculum and train on it. Partnering with DFTA on the grant were the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice Coordinator, the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence, the New York Police Department and two community-based nonprofit organizations, the Jewish Association of Services for the Aged (JASA), and the Center Against Domestic Violence. The 20-member advisory committee reviewed the curriculum and many contributed sections. This experience of working together on a common project forged new relationships, strengthened old ones, and reinforced the conviction of all concerned that New York City would benefit greatly from a coordinated approach to problems of fragmentation in elder abuse prevention, prosecution, and services. …