Millions of older persons are physically and sexually abused, neglected and financially exploited every year. This abuse occurs in homes and facilities, cuts across all demographic groups, and causes untold suffering. In their last years, these older adult survivors are impoverished, injured, neglected, isolated and living in fear.
Elder abuse cases are complex, often requiring multiple systems to respond to them. Developing a multidisciplinary team (MDT) is recognized as a potentially powerful solution that communities can initiate in response to elder abuse. MDTs are a person-centered approach to assessment and interventions. They enable experts from multiple disciplines (e.g., medicine, forensic accounting, law) and systems (e.g., adult protective services, criminal justice, law enforcement, financial industry, aging, victim services) to come together to review cases, coordinate responses, provide efficient and holistic interventions and improve outcomes for survivors.
Core Partners
For MDTs to take root, thrive and sustain themselves, training and technical assistance are needed in all stages of team development and implementation. The National Elder Abuse MDT Technical Assistance and Training Center is well placed to meet these needs. Led by the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions (CEASe) at Weill Cornell Medicine, with three core organization partners (Lifespan of Greater Rochester, the Keck School of Medicine’s National Center on Elder Abuse, and the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life), the Center draws from decades of collective expertise and experience across these agencies to provide case consultations, training and technical assistance to OVC-funded teams throughout the country.
Services
Amongst other offerings, the National Elder Abuse MDT Training and Technical Assistance Center provides innovative strategies and materials for each team’s daily operations; technical assistance for team support and case consultations; training for professionals serving teams; guidance on integrating specialty services into the work of the teams; strategies to ensure responsiveness to each community through trauma-informed and trauma-responsive approaches; and consulting on sustainability and long-range funding strategies. Through collaboration with Tribal Specialists, the Center also places special emphasis on culturally competent implementation of EMDTs in Native American communities.
Funder
Through the generous support from the US Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, the National Elder Abuse MDT Training and Technical Assistance Center works to make a powerful and positive impact on current and future teams and the older survivors they serve.
For More Information
Please visit our National Center website for resources on MDTs. For more information, please contact Grace Cheong, Program Manager, National Elder Abuse MDT Training and Technical Assistance Center, click here or call 212-746-8172