The Elder Justice Roadmap

to elder abuse. It also is important to train diverse professionals and leaders from each
community who bring multicultural perspectives to all aspects of practice and education.
Domestic violence and sexual assault: In urging domestic violence and sexual assault fields to
address the needs of older victims, begin with physical abuse and sexual assault – clearly within
their ambit. Do not lead with the relatively new and unfamiliar issues of financial exploitation or
neglect.
“If consciousness building is what you’re trying to do at this stage and you’ve identified who are
the most important targets, you can assess – will this analysis reach them? What do we need to
do? Will it be through media or some other outlet?”
– leadership Interviewee
Financial exploitation: Some informants suggested that because the public is more likely to be
able to relate to (and contemplate) financial exploitation than abuse or neglect, it might make
sense, for tactical reasons, to lead with that issue in raising awareness and developing policy.
Impact litigation: Impact litigation can be an effective way to change systems, but it is labor
intensive and more difficult to pursue successfully now than in previous decades. If it is
necessary to select a single course, consider beginning with raising public consciousness.
Piggyback: Integrate elder justice issues into existing structures, initiatives, regulations,
protocols, research studies and so on. Piggyback onto ongoing efforts relating to aging, chronic
disease, dementia, or mental health.
Target research: In deciding what studies to prioritize, consider what impact they will have
from a communications perspective. Will the results raise awareness, get attention, or educate the
public about prevention? Also, re-analyze existing data in new ways so that the data reveal new
information.
Training: It is important to create training tailored to different sectors. For example, in the
financial sector, develop materials educating employees for “what to look for” (to detect possible
elder financial exploitation) and what they should do if they suspect elder abuse. Develop
toolkits to educate older people and their caregivers about financial literacy, exploitation, and
what to do if they have concerns.
Use existing systems: Instead of building a new system to respond to elder abuse, strengthen
and, if necessary, re-purpose existing pathways and systems to more effectively address the
problem.
The Elder Justice Roadmap–Appendices 48