MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS FOR ADDRESSING ELDER ABUSE WHY THEY

MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS FOR ADDRESSING ELDER ABUSE: WHY THEY MATTER Pamela B. Teaster, Ph. D. Professor and Director Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology Stacy Carey Branch Manager, Adult Protection Branch Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Department for Community Based Services

WHAT IS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM? • Groups of professionals from diverse disciplines who come together to review abuse cases and address systemic problems • Emerged in the early as a vehicle to assist communities faced with elder abuse cases that were often too complex for any single discipline or agency to resolve • Allow members from various agencies and entities to coordinate intervention procedures and to provide a forum to educate each other about strategies, resources, and approaches.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

NATIONAL SURVEY OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS (MDTS) TO ADDRESS ELDER ABUSE FINDINGS • • Data collected from 31 team representatives Highlighted trends and provided insight into challenges teams face Primary goal of teams was to resolve difficult abuse cases Identified service gaps and updated members about new services, resources, and legislation • Highlighted importance of legal expertise and input on teams • Costs of operating teams varied widely • Multidisciplinary teams play a key role in communities’ response to elder abuse and are highly valued

BENEFITS OF MDTS • Strengthen community relationships • Eliminate or ameliorate turf wars • Promote teamwork and assistance • Provide assistance on cases referred for guardianship • Help clients secure improved medical care • Enhance members’ understanding of services • Mobilize professionals from a wide range of disciplines to confront the complex and growing problem of elder mistreatment

NATIONAL CENTER ON ELDER ABUSE ELDER JUSTICE COMMUNITY COALITION PROJECT

AOA’S NATIONAL CENTER ON ELDER ABUSE ELDER JUSTICE COMMUNITY COALITION PROJECT • Purpose: Foster development of proven, multidisciplinary strategies to address abuse, neglect, and exploitation • Investigated defining features of EJCs, including functions, sponsorship, funding sources, formalized policies and agreements, and membership • Concluded that coalitions play a key role in communities’ response to elder abuse and are highly valued by those who participate • The strength of EJCs is their ability to mobilize professionals from a wide range of disciplines to confront elder mistreatment

THE COMMONWEALTH COLLABORATIONS PROJECT

THE COMMONWEALTH COLLABORATIONS PROJECT • Purpose: • To assess and understand the Local Coordinating Councils on Elder Abuse (LCCEAs) • To determine the feasibility of replicating LCCEAs in other locales and states • To develop a promising practices manual for replication by other states interested in developing coordinating councils on a statewide scale • LCCEAs were established in KY in 1998 to work on cases of elder abuse in the local community and develop crisis response teams

THE COMMONWEALTH COLLABORATIONS PROJECT FINDINGS • LCCEAs lack strong purpose and coordination • Councils lack participation from their members and the community • Councils lack funding to achieve their goals • Council need recognition and direction

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR TEAMS ADDRESSING ELDER ABUSE

USING TRANSDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE • Transdisciplinary Science: A strategy and process for knowledge development and solving complex problems where determinants of the problem(s) are multiple, interacting, reciprocal, and exist at multiple levels • Transdisciplinary Research Networks: • • Mac. Arthur Foundation Networks Pew Charitable Trust Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE • Estimate costs • Explore support options • Engage needed disciplines and make it possible for them to continue with participation • Establish measures for success using an evidence base

GOALS FOR THE FUTURE • Continue to bring in community partners to increase awareness of elder abuse • Educate the public • Continue to grow and be active in the community • Increased involvement in councils

UPDATE ON MDTS

MDTS TODAY • Financial exploitation alone costs US victims 30 billion dollars each year • Necessary agencies found on a majority of teams are: • • Law enforcement (in 96% of teams) Case management (68%) Medical professions such as nurses or physician assistants (67%) Community-based mental health services (65%) Prosecution (63%) Victim advocacy (62%) Public guardian or conservator (57%) Area Agencies on Aging (56%)

BENEFITS OF MDTS • Benefits • Members of MDTs often feel they personally contribute to improve victim safety, support of client self-determination, and physical and mental health of the victim • Enable person-centered outcomes • Ability to accomplish case goals (e. g. , prosecution and conservatorship) • Members’ experience improved capability in work and relationships with other professional agencies

CHALLENGES OF MDTS • Can face lack of participation from key disciplines or systems • Problems in communication due to language differences • Concerns about client confidentiality or conflicts of interest • Can experience inadequate funding or insufficient time • Interest may decline among members during cases due to outside factors • Require much deliberation calls on the efficacy of elder abuse interventions • There is no agreed-upon definition of success

LOCAL COORDINATING COUNCILS ON ELDER ABUSE IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY

HISTORY OF LCCEAS • In 1998, Kentucky’s Local Coordinating Councils on Elder Abuse (LCCEAs) were established. LCCEAs were developed as result of Kentucky’s Protection of Adults, Kentucky Revised Statues (KRS) 209 • In 2005, HB 298 expanded and amended specific provisions for adult services for those 65+ and mandated the creation of a statewide Elder Abuse Committee (EAC). This group recommended the formation of a system of statewide LCCEAs to prevent, remedy, intervene, and coordinate services and resources by community partners for victims, perpetrators, families, and informal and formal caretakers. • Kentucky developed a Model Protocol to help assist communities who want to initiate coordinating councils. The Model Protocol can be found on the Cabinet’s Elder Abuse Awareness website. • https: //chfs. ky. gov/agencies/dcbs/dpp/apb/Pages/elderabuse. aspx

MAP OF 24 LCCEAS

LOCAL COORDINATING COUNCILS ON ELDER ABUSE • Currently there are 24 councils in Kentucky that cover 93 counties. • These councils are independent from another and are not administered through the court or by the Cabinet. Kentucky's Department Community Based Services-APS branch has for several years acted as a resource by facilitating communication, providing material support in the way of public awareness materials, awarded monies, and through membership and participation of the councils. • Councils are comprised of professionals from a variety of disciplines as well as members of the public.

COUNCIL ACTIVITIES • The council activities are reflective of the communities they serve and their primary focus is prevention, intervention, and resource development designed at ending abuse. • Councils across the state participate in a variety of activities such as MDTs, promoting public awareness, hosting conferences, trainings, and distributing news blurbs through newspaper, radio, and television, etc.

LCCEA MDTS • Councils not operating as MDTs discuss APS reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation • Separate meeting with certain council members. • Abuse, neglect, and exploitation discussed at LCCEA meetings but case names and identifying information are not shared

CHALLENGES FACED BY LCCEAS • Lack of participation by certain groups • Members do not participate regularly • Money

INFORMATION SHARING • Quarterly conference calls/virtual meetings • Emails from DCBS liaison through listservs • Annual recognition event • Social edia • Monthly newsletter

EVALUATION • No LCCEAs have been evaluated

FUTURE PLANS DATA Discussion • Discussed the need for data to help LCCEAs steer prevention efforts and evaluate effectiveness • Current data available • Annual Elder Abuse Report • Discussion on how to collect data, most effective data to collect, and how to access and share data

THANK YOU!