Elder Justice Coalitions and the Role of Adult Protective Services
 

By Paul L. Caccamise, LMSW, ACSW, Vice President for Program, Lifespan of Greater Rochester; Project Director, National Center for State and Tribal Coalitions

Maggie Morgan, MSW, Project Manager, National Center for State and Tribal Coalitions

January 2025 

Over the past five decades, social welfare coalitions have played a pivotal role in advocating for societal progress and advancements in victim services. During that time, professionals and interested members of the public with a passion for social justice have joined forces to advocate for adequate resources and effective policies and programs for victims of child abuse and domestic violence. Social welfare coalitions can be influential change agents as they often bring together various professional fields and service systems that do not typically collaborate or work together, such as health care, mental health, law enforcement and criminal justice, domestic violence assistance providers, and government-sponsored social service programs, among others. Bringing together the experience and influence of multiple fields allows the analysis of systemic and social problems from multiple points of view. 

Coalitions focusing on the needs of vulnerable adults and specifically victims of elder mistreatment have developed more recently, following in the wake of newly established adult protective services (APS) programs in the late 1970s and 1980s. The coalitions that emerged were often created out of the realization that APS programs, as government entities, were limited in their ability to advocate for themselves in the public sector. The needs of APS programs and elders alleged to have been mistreated thus often became the organizing principle behind the establishment of coalitions concerned with at-risk adults. Most regional and statewide elder justice coalitions have focused on elder abuse and related issues or APS specifically. In elder justice coalitions, APS programs can bring a critical front-line perspective on work with older adults who have been abused, neglected, or exploited and who may be negatively impacted by outdated policies and practices or under-resourced services.

An excellent example is the Ohio Coalition for Adult Protective Services (OCAPS), which is the nation’s first elder justice coalition, established in 1984. OCAPS was created to advocate for adequate resources to support Ohio’s new APS program. Despite its limited size, the APS program was tasked with an ambitious mission, and OCAPS has played a critical role in championing its growth and effectiveness. To build support for the coalition and provide training to those in the field, OCAPS founders held their first conference in 1985 for professionals across the state. OCAPS continues to host the conference to this day. More information on OCAPS can be found at www.ocapsohio.org.  

Across the country, coalition activities have supported efforts to provide greater protection for vulnerable adults of all ages and better tools for APS staff to do their jobs. The California Elder Justice Coalition helped to write undue influence legislation, addressing the financial abuse of an older or dependent adult, in the state’s Welfare and Institutions Code. The coalition also helped to develop the California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST), which provides a comprehensive model for evaluating undue influence. The coalition also contributed to the state’s Master Plan on Aging.

In the authors’ home state of New York, several regional coalitions were formed in the 1980s, 1990s, and into the 2000s with the goal of increasing awareness of elder abuse, to advise local APS units and Offices for the Aging on their operations, and to advocate for policy and legislative changes related to elder mistreatment. The local coalitions worked independently with little opportunity for mutual dialogue and communication until the launch in 2004 of the New York State Coalition on Elder Abuse. The New York coalition was instrumental in achieving changes in the power of attorney law and supported the establishment of enhanced multidisciplinary team services in every county in the state. Most recently, the New York coalition held a third summit focused on underserved populations. APS was a key stakeholder, sharing its perspective on topics such as gaps in programs and services, mandated reporting laws—particularly noting that New York remains the only state without mandated reporting—and offering valuable insights to help draft next steps for advancing elder justice in New York.

In 2017, representatives from four statewide elder justice coalitions founded the National Network of State Elder Justice Coalitions (the network) as a forum for statewide and tribal coalitions in the U.S. concerned with elder justice matters to meet and share their strategies, challenges, and achievements. The founders envisioned an organization in which coalition members provide regular mutual support, offer opportunities for dialogue across state and tribal lines, and explore potential collaborations. They also saw a role for the network to make states' needs and perspectives known to national policymakers, public and private funders, researchers, and allies. (For a more complete description of the national network and its mission and activities, please refer to an article in Volume 44, No. 1 of the American Society on Aging journal, Generations, “Building A National Elder Justice Movement, State by State” or to the network website www.elderjusticecal.org/nnsejc.html).

The national network conducted an environmental scan of the 16 statewide coalitions identified at the time and found some common as well as unique functions and characteristics. One consistent function of coalitions is to provide education, training, or resources on elder abuse. They also host public awareness campaigns for elder mistreatment, such as recognizing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) events. Many host or sponsor annual conferences and networking opportunities and support coalition members. The national network has developed a working definition of an elder justice coalition: “A state or tribal elder justice (or elder abuse) coalition is an ongoing multidisciplinary state- or tribal-level collaborative whose mission is identifying and addressing gaps or inadequacies in policy and practice related to elder mistreatment detection, prevention, and intervention. Besides coalitions, they may be called networks, councils, commissions, associations, partnerships, centers, or task forces. Coalitions may be standalone 501(c)(3) organizations, may be sponsored by a government unit, or may operate under the auspices of a not-for-profit fiscal sponsor.”

In spite of the many accomplishments and documented effectiveness of the current statewide coalitions, new elder justice coalitions have been slow to materialize. At last count there were only 20 state coalitions and one tribal coalition. The national network advocated with federal criminal justice and human service agencies for federal support for the expansion of state and tribal coalitions. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime issued a solicitation to establish a national center for elder justice coalitions. At the request of the National Network Steering Committee, Lifespan of Greater Rochester was awarded the cooperative agreement and funding for three years beginning in October 2022 to establish a National Center for State and Tribal Elder Justice Coalitions (the center). 

The center is a collaborative agreement between Lifespan of Greater Rochester as lead agency and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. The Ohio Coalition for Adult Protective Services, Minnesota Elder Justice Center, Center for Elder Abuse Solutions in New York City, and Dr. Jacqueline Gray, tribal consultant, are partners in the project. The center provides training and technical assistance to statewide and tribal elder justice coalitions to support their growth and development. It issued a request for proposal to establish a new coalition or enhance an existing elder justice coalition in 2023 and funded eight projects: California Elder Justice Coalition, Colorado Older Adults Financial Justice Coalition, Maine Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership, Missouri’s Coalition for Justice for Elder and Disabled Adults, Rhode Island Coalition for Elder Justice, Texas Elder Justice Coalition, The Web (tribal) at the University of North Dakota, and Wisconsin Elder Justice Coalition. From the outset of their projects, the center grantees have sought out APS staff for their knowledge and insight into working with elder abuse victims. 

An example is Colorado Older Adults Financial Justice Coalition, which is in the process of developing financial exploitation training for APS caseworkers to help them more effectively navigate financial exploitation cases. The Colorado coalition started with a survey asking APS caseworkers about the needs in the field and what information they would like to learn from training. This survey has led to the coalition looking to draft a simple one-page handout for APS caseworkers to use with financial exploitation victims who need to know what initial steps to take. Another coalition, Texas Elder Justice Coalition, has partnered with their APS representatives to help support a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event which included a walk over a bridge illuminated in purple and an awareness campaign to “Stop the Stigma.” 

The center’s mission’s is to support the growth and development of statewide or tribal elder justice coalitions. In spring of 2025, the center will release a 100-page coalition development guide which provides a step-by-step process, tools, resources, and information on how to develop, maintain, and sustain an elder justice coalition. With its release, we will host a training on how to use the guide and access the resources provided. If you’re passionate about coalition building, we invite you to attend the training to gain valuable insights on using the guide to create impactful and sustainable elder justice coalitions. While the exact date and time are still being finalized, we’ll share the details as soon as they’re confirmed. Registration information will be posted on our website and shared through key partners, including the National Adult Protective Services Association.

At a fundamental level, elder justice coalitions are needed to help advance the field of elder justice to drive support and provide education on the issues older adults face. By joining and participating in a coalition, APS caseworkers can offer knowledge and expertise to help guide the work of the coalition in its decision-making process and strategic planning to achieve a more just society. Acting together, we can build stronger communities and ensure justice for older adults across the nation. 
 

The APS Blog is updated regularly with posts from contributing authors and new publications from the APS TARC.

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