June 15th is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEEAD), which brings attention to the serious dangers many older adults face. From neglect and physical abuse to financial exploitation, elder abuse is a common experience for many older adults. Founded by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day encourages individuals to host their own events and help spread the message about how to prevent, identify, and address abuse. For additional information about elder abuse and the Awareness day check out our homepage.
AGHE Call for Abstracts Deadline Approaching
The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), an international leader in advancing education on aging, is now accepting abstract submissions. Accepted abstracts will be presented at the 39th Annual Meeting and Educational Leadership Conference, taking place February 28 - March 3, 2013 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The theme is “Waves of Change: Charting the Course for Gerontology Education.” Educators, clinicians, administrators, researchers, and students join together at this annual conference to share, collaborate, and network. Please visit aghe.org/am for more information on abstract submissions; note the deadline is June 20. Questions, contact meetings@aghe.org.
Nominations for Student Travel Scholarships Due July 2 The CSWE Gero-Ed Center is accepting nominations for the Ashley Brooks-Danso Memorial Fund’s Student Travel Scholarships until Monday, July 2, 2012, at 11:59pm ET. Three awardees will win $500 for travel expenses to CSWE’s Annual Program Meeting (APM) and a complimentary APM registration. Nominees must be full- or part-time currently enrolled students in a CSWE-accredited baccalaureate or master’s level social work program and have an interest in aging.
Congratulations to Dr. Charles Emlet for being selected as a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair
Dr. Charles Emlet (Hartford Scholar, Cohort II), has been selected by the Fulbright Program to be a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair. He will receive a grant for his research project, “Understanding the Lived experiences of Older Adults Living with HIV in Ontario, Canada: An Examination of Strengths and Resilience in a Vulnerable Population”. The project will examine the experiences of older, HIV-positive Canadians through qualitative interviews. Please join the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative in congratulating Dr. Emlet on this significant award.
National Survey on Abuse of People with Disabilities
A survey is being circulated by the Spectrum Institute’s Disability and Abuse Project in regards to the mistreatment, bullying, and abuse of individuals with disabilities. This is the first national survey of its kind. It focuses on garnering information about incidents of, response to, and attitudes about, abuse or victimization of individuals with disabilities. The purpose of the survey is to seek input from the public, especially from persons with disabilities or those who interact with them, such as family members, caregivers, service providers, and advocates. The intention is not to create a scientific research project, but rather a robust survey, the results of which may be used for research, education, and advocacy. To take the survey, click here.
National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging Launches Perspectives Challenge
The AoA-MOWAA National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging has launched the Perspectives Challenge to seek out and promote future-focused ideas and approaches to serving the nutrition needs of our nation’s aging population. Participate in the Perspectives Challenge, and you could be selected to share your Perspective – either in person or virtually – at the Perspectives on Nutrition and Aging: A National Summit, on August 23, 2012, near Washington, DC. Additional Perspectives will be published in the Summit Proceedings. For more information click here.
An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America
If you are unable to view the video, click hereto be directed to YouTube.
New York City Elder Abuse Center intervenes quickly for older patients
Ronald Goralewicz a nurse practitioner who is employed by the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital recalls situations in which he needed to intervene in order to protect older adults from abuse. "The nursing part is interesting because nurses are sort of on the front line," Goralewicz said. "They play a key role in identifying patients who may be victims of abuse or neglect and they are trained to be aware of the symptoms." To read more about Goralewicz’s efforts click here.
Focusing on vulnerable seniors who have experienced financial abuse
Financial abuse has become the most prevalent type of abuse affecting our older population across the country. In 2010, 41 percent of cases of abuse committed against elderly and vulnerable adults in Oregon state involved financial exploitation. To learn more about how Oregon’s Lane County is working towards educating older adults and their loved ones about how to recognize and prevent abuse click here.
New NADSA Dissertation Fellowship
The National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) is pleased to announce the Beth Meyer-Arnold Dissertation Fellowship which is designed to encourage original scholarship in the area of adult day services by doctoral students. The award supports PhD Candidates in completing their dissertation work in areas of interest to adult day services. NADSA will be awarding scholarships at their National Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, Sept .20-22, 2012. Click here for more information. Deadline for submission of application is August 20, 2012.
Projects of National Significance: Community of Practice for Supporting Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with I/DD
The Administration for Community Living’s Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) recently announced the availability of Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 funds for a cooperative agreement authorized under Subtitle E of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000, Projects of National Significance. Funds will be awarded to build capacity across and within states through State consortia, to create and share policies, practices and systems that support competitive, integrated employment outcomes to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The application due date is July 10, 2012.To read the full announcement and to download an application, click here.
Funds Bolster Mental, Behavioral Health Training
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration's Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants Program supports eligible institutions of higher education with accredited health professions training programs in social work and psychology to recruit students and provide education and clinical experience in mental and behavioral health. The program currently is awarding $10 million in new funding and the application deadline is June 22.
The following opportunity is from the Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health:
National Center on Elder Abuse’s “Take a Stand” Initiative NCEA urges individuals, families, community groups, organizations, and businesses to “Take A Stand” by participating in elder abuse awareness and prevention efforts. There are many ways to become involved, from attending or organizing a World Day event, to visiting an older neighbor who lives alone, to volunteering for a program that benefits seniors, to organizing a fundraiser to support a local abuse prevention initiative. For more information on how to participate in World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and additional resources click here. To learn about events that are going to be held in your area, click here.
National Center for States Courts Releasing Elder Abuse Toolkits
Starting June 15th the National Center for State Courts will be posting elder abuse toolkits for prosecutors and courts. These toolkits will help educate prosecutors, court managers and judges about the dangers of elder abuse and how to improve outcomes for older adults who have been abused. For more information click here.
Briefs Examine States’ Exploration of Accountable Care Organizations in Medicaid Three new resources from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examine key trends in the evolution of state Medicaid programs and the terminology underlying some of those efforts. Emerging Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations: The Role of Managed Care looks at early efforts by a number of states to set up Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) within their Medicaid programs. An Overview of Recent Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver Activitysummarizes and examines the implications of recent efforts by states to test approaches in Medicaid that differ from federal program rules. And, Decoding Medicaid Care Delivery and Financing Models: A Glossary of Widely Used Terms seeks to clarify and define the terms that are widely used to describe the diverse approaches that states are taking to reform the way they organize and pay for care for Medicaid beneficiaries.
Policy
White Paper Calls for OAA Enhancements
GSA and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) have partnered to produce a white paper that advocates several changes to the Older Americans Act (OAA), which currently is up for reauthorization. The two organizations seek to increase the authority, rigor, credibility, and accountability of research, demonstration, training, and evaluation activities administered by or through the Administration on Aging. Their suggested changes include establishing a chief science officer and competency-based educational standards for service providers funded by the OAA. Increasing educational standards would require that professionals in certain positions that serve older adults receive a minimum amount of gerontological training.
Ripples, an e-newsletter, is designed to keep interested deans and directors, faculty members, students, practitioners and others informed about the work of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI).Please note that the information contained in Ripples comes from a variety of sources, including aging listservs, and social work and aging newsletters. In order to get this information to subscribers as quickly as possible, there is little to no additional verification of work or research of resources.
We welcome your feedback and encourage you to contribute any story ideas, stories, resources, news and other content to subsequent issues of the newsletter. To make a contribution, please contact us via email at gswi@geron.org.
For archived issues of Ripples, please click here.
