1. Are there fees for this service?
No fees.
2. Who is eligible?
Any professional from any discipline or system within New York City can access this case consultation service, provided that the elder abuse victim is 60 or over and resides in New York City.
3. How can I access case consultations?
To arrange the consultation, reach out to the coordinator in the borough where the older adult resides. This information is on page three of this flyer. You may also leave a voice mail at CEASe: 212-746-7211. Include the best time to reach you to discuss your case consultation request in your email or phone message.
- Do not put any details of the case, nor any identifying information about the victim, in an email.
- Case consults will be scheduled ASAP upon availability. These consultations are typically provided by phone.
4. General FAQs
These FAQs answer questions about elder abuse Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) in general and the CEASe EMDTs (Enhanced Multidisciplinary Teams) specifically.
1) What is elder abuse and how prevalent is it? Research informs that one in ten older adults are abused, neglect, and/or financially exploited every year. Abuse cuts across all demographic groups, and causes untold suffering. Many of these victims live their last years impoverished, injured, neglected, and in fear – with little effective protection, attention, or help from any system. Indeed, a staggering 1 in 24 older victims are not reported or known to any service network. Many situations that come to light are complex, involving co-occurring abuse types requiring responses from multiple systems.
2) What are MDTs and why do we need them? MDTs bring professionals together from across disciplines and systems to problem solve complex cases of elder abuse. Those responding to elder abuse often operate in silos, unaware of parallel investigations and unable to access the knowledge and resources needed to respond effectively. Professionals working in isolation are often hampered by the limits of their own expertise and authority. Thus, gaps in care or service duplication often occurs. In contrast, MDTs are a powerful person-centered, highly coordinated intervention. Members carefully consider each older victim’s situation and individual strengths, needs and preferences when creating a response.
3) Where are CEASe's teams located? CEASe has teams in all five boroughs – the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. All of these teams are “enhanced” by the presence of a forensic account – a specialist in applying accounting concepts and practices to financial exploitation cases – geriatricians and geropsychiatrists. Thus, they are both called Enhanced MDTs (“EMDTs”).
4) Who are the members of the EMDTs? EMDTs are comprised of professionals, many working directly with victims. Together EMDT members and specialists assess and prioritize the myriad issues involved in the cases, determine what services and interventions are needed, and what additional experts might be consulted to improve outcomes for vulnerable older adults. To effectively accomplish this, teams require a broad range of expertise at the table. CEASe's EMDTs have specialists from many fields, including medicine, law, mental health, social work, protective services, elder abuse, aging, banking, law enforcement, criminal justice and forensic accounting.
5) Who do the EMDTs currently serve? CEASe's EMDTs serve older adults, age 60 and over, residing in any borough in New York City.
6) How do CEASe's EMDTs work? First, a professional knowing about an elder abuse situation contacts CEASe. (See contact information below.) CEASe's Triage Unit evaluates its overall eligibility for the team and the likelihood of the case being brought to successful resolution without team intervention. If accepted for team review, CEASe works with the referring professional to prepare a case presentation for team discussion, and schedules it for team review. The team hears the presentation and then works together to problem solve, develop an action plan, and coordinate responses. The EMDT synchronizes the assessment and interventions of team members and schedules follow-up team reviews. The teams meet twice a month and each meeting is 2 hours duration. The teams typically hear 1 new case and 3-4 follow-up cases each meeting.
7) What are the evidence-based benefits of MDTs? Research on MDTs suggests that they significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of response to cases of elder abuse. Professionals are able to establish relationships with colleagues in different offices and systems, the team can design individualized interventions to accommodate the unique needs of each victim, and the coordination creates accountability. Additionally, research has demonstrated MDTs improve the rate of prosecution in financial exploitation cases, increase the rates of elder abuse reporting in general, and are cost effective.
8) Are consultation resources available for cases not heard by the full team? CEASe EMDTs cannot hear every case of elder abuse, so they necessarily focus on the most complex ones. CEASe triages cases and determines whether the case requires EMDT services. For other cases, CEASe offers case consultation services for professionals. These consultations connect professionals with specialists from a range of fields, including medicine, psychiatry, social work, law, and forensic accounting. Also, supportive counseling is provided at the CEASe Helpline for concerned non-professionals in the lives of NYC-residing elder abuse victims (844-746-6905).
9) Who funds CEASe's EMDTs and consultation services? Lifespan of Greater Rochester funds CEASe's EMDTs. Also, UJA Federation of New York funds CEASe's MDT in conjunction with a consortium of agencies: Met Council, JASA, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Justice, NYLAG, and What Matters/Shomer Collective.
To refer a case for consultation and team review
(212) 746-7211 (CEASe will respond within 24 business hours. In a safety or health emergency, call 911.)
THIS PROGRAM IS FUNDED IN PART BY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF VICTIMS OF CRIME, NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF VICTIM SERVICES AND LIFESPAN OF GREATER ROCHESTER. ANY OPINIONS, RESULTS, FINDINGS, AND /OR INTERPRETATIONS OF DATA CONTAINED HEREIN ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF JOAN AND SANFORD I. WEILL MEDICAL COLLEGE OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS, INTERPRETATIONS, OR POLICY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF VICTIMS OF CRIME, OR LIFESPAN OF GREATER ROCHESTER.