World Elder Abuse Resources, Data, Laws and more

June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD).

Elder abuse is defined in state law, and the definitions vary from state to state. The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging (ABA COLA) has updated its resource of state elder abuse definitions to help lawyers understand elder abuse in their state. In addition, ABA COLA has updated its mandatory and permissive reporting chart, as well as the power of attorney chart. The statutory charts look at selected issues in the law and the citations chart helps you find the complete text of elder abuse and long-term care ombudsmen laws in every state:    

Elder abuse reporting laws, processes, and selected case law in all states and territories. This chart is useful for locating reporting requirements and portals in other states, or for comparing laws in different states.  Statutory definitions of elder abuse, adult abuse, and adult maltreatment in all states and territories.   Selected issues in Power of Attorney law in all 50 states. Power of attorney law is very state-specific—this chart looks at critical issues such as statutory forms, third party recognition, and fees on a state by state basis and provides a citation to the law with links to publicly available sources wherever possible.  Citations to state elder abuse and Long-Term Care Ombudsman statutes with links to public sources wherever possible. This listing provides citations and links to entire state laws.

Additional statutory charts can be found on the ABA website. Additionally, more resources and information can be found in the NCLER Elder Justice Toolkit, a practice-oriented resource for attorneys and advocates that provides guidance on pursuing civil legal remedies in elder abuse cases. NCLER also offers case consultations to professionals and is available to work with organizations and programs that would like assistance with planning and capacity-building to address elder abuse.