Naomi Karp, JD, AARP Senior Stategic Policy Advisor shares the following:

A new AARP Public Policy Institute Fact sheet highlights the increased demand for adult protective services to address cases of older adult mistreatment.  The brief report highlights findings that, during the recent “Great Recession,”  state APS departments saw an uptick in complaints filed while their resources went down or remained flat.  You can find the fact sheet at:
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/ppi/ltc/fs212-ltc.pdf  This report was released Wednesday to coincide with the Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on elder abuse and the release of GAO’s investigation report on adult protective services.  As you’ve undoubtedly seen in the massive media coverage, actor Mickey Rooney, a victim of financial and emotional abuse, presented poignant testimony along with nationally-known elder abuse experts.  See the Senate Committee’s website for a webcast.
 
This AARP fact sheet is based on a larger report, Weathering the Storm: The Impact of the Great Recession on Long-Term Services and Supports.  You can find that report on AARP’s website at:
http://www.aarp.org/health/health-care-reform/info-10-2010/health-panel-10201.html along with links to a video, brief summary, and state-by-state findings.
 
 For more information Ms Karp may be contacted at:
AARP Public Policy Institute | 601 E St., NW | Washington, DC 20049
202-434-3924 (voice)  |  202-434-6408 (fax)  |  nkarp@aarp.org

AARP’s Public Policy Institute today released a new research report focusing on older investors with diminished capacity—and how financial services professionals can best meet their needs.

Increasingly, older people are responsible for their own retirement security in an era of defined contribution plans and other forms of “do-it-yourself” retirement. Financial capacity is the first kind of decision-making capacity to decline with the onset of dementia and other causes of cognitive impairment. Are financial services industries prepared for the age boom and increased incidence of diminished capacity?

This report includes extensive background information on diminished financial capacity, the risk of financial exploitation, and the financial professionals who serve older clients. It shares results of a national survey of financial professionals and an interdisciplinary roundtable about current practices, protocols and needs—and makes recommendations for federal and state policy-makers, industry, aging organizations and other stakeholders. You can find the report at:

http://www.aarp.org/money/investing/info-11-2011/diminished-capacity-investor-protection.html Feel free to contact me at nkarp@aarp.org or my co-author, Ryan Wilson, at trwilson@aarp.org Thanks.

Naomi

Naomi Karp, JD

Senior Strategic Policy Advisor | Consumer & State Affairs Team
AARP Public Policy Institute | 601 E St., NW | Washington, DC 20049
202-434-3924 (voice) | 202-434-6408 (fax) | nkarp@aarp.org 

EJC Leadership Meeting Recap/Strategy for 2011

On Friday, January 7^th, members of the EJC Leadership Council met to review 2010 and to set priorities for 2011 including the First Session of the 112^th Congress.  Edwin Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Program Operations at the Administration on Aging (AoA) along with Ashley Carson, Senior Policy Counsel at the Senate Aging Committee and Ashley Ridlon, former Legislative Assistant to Senator Blanche Lincoln addressed the group.

The top priority for 2011 is funding for the EJA in FY 2011 and FY 2012. The Coalition’s focus will be on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees as well as the Obama Administration to ensure funding is appropriated for the Elder Justice Act. Members of the Appropriations Committees and their staffs will be identified and the Coalition will educate and inform them on the importance of the EJA by using compelling stories and news articles on elder abuse.  Members of the Coalition are encouraged to contact and meet with their members of Congress or their staff to discuss funding for the EJA. The Coalition is pleased with last weeks appointments of  the Chair of the House Labor-HHS Committee, Rep. Dennis Rehberg of Montana. Rep. Rehberg has a working relationship with the Coalition and the Ranking Member is Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, a long time champion of elderly issues. In addition,  the following Republican were named to the Labor HHS Subcommittee:

Rep. Jerry Lewis (CA)

Rep. Rodney Alexander (LA)

Rep. Jack Kingston (GA)

Rep. Kay Granger (TX)

Rep. Mike Simpson (ID)

Rep. Jeff Flake (AZ)

Rep. Cynthia Lummis (WY)

Updates on the House Democrats  named to the Subcommittee and the Senate Appropriations Committee Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee will be provided by the Coalition once the announcements have been made.

**Please note: the Obama Administration’s FY 2012 budget will be at least 1-2 weeks late. It is now due out in mid-February. We hope the Administration includes the EJA in its FY 2012 budget.

Another priority for the EJC in 2011 is to expand our media presence and grow our EJC membership. We hope to hold events for Older Americans Month in May and in June for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEEAD). In addition, we would like to gain additional EJC members and expand our membership both by number and sector.

A third priority for the EJC is capacity building. We hope to upgrade our website and make it more user friendly for advocacy purpose. We would also like to continue to expand our use of social media. While the EJC is on twitter--- www.twitter.com/elderjustice we will also be creating a Facebook page for the Coalition. Stay tuned!

Please check out KGA Legislative  page to regarding federal bills the Elder Justice Coalition will be supporting.

 Voting Rights: Persons subject to guardianship can retain or regain the right to vote.  Click here to view a short video about restoration of voting rights. For more information see the resources page.