One of LPR’s followers alerted us to the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recently launched Elder Justice Initiative.  The DOJ’s Elder Justice Website seeks to help elder abuse victims and their families learn about and report abuse.

[T]he United States Department of Justice Elder Justice Website [is] a resource for victims of elder abuse and financial exploitation and their families; practitioners who serve them; law enforcement agencies and prosecutors; and researchers seeking to understand and address this silent epidemic plaguing our nation’s elders.

The site includes a section for elder abuse victims and their family members to locate local resources to assist them in understanding and reporting elder abuse and financial exploitation.

Here, victims and family members will find information about how to report elder abuse and financial exploitation in all 50 states and the territories. Simply enter your zipcode to find local resources to assist you.

Also included for victims and family members are frequently asked questions, common scenarios and information on training.

There are also pages that include resources for prosecutors, researchers and practitioners.  For prosecutors there are three databases:

(1) federal pleadings and corporate integrity agreements (2) state pleadings, and (3) multiple elder justice statutes governing civil and criminal financial exploitation, mandatory reporting requirements and long-term care regulations.

For researchers (and others interested), there is a searchable database of “scientific, legal and general literature concerning elder abuse”:

over 2400 abstracts and publications . . . searchable by specific topics of interest in elder abuse. . . . [and] a bibliography of all the articles in the database.

The website also includes resources for practitioners, including legal providers, the police, judges, medical and care providers, and medical examiners.  These include a series of DVDs, online training, and publications.

This is a great website that is easily navigated.  Links to all of the above resources can be found on the website.

Mistreatment of elders is frightfully common and underreported.  LPR applauds the DOJ for providing this much-needed resource.