Child & Family Services of Newport

Who are we and how we can help?

The Elderly Abuse Program of Child & Family Services of Newport County has a dual purpose. The primary purpose continues to be provision of crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy, consultation, referral and service coordination to maintain elderly victims of violent crime in a protected, safe environment. A second, and critical, purpose of the program is to reach out to elder service providers, local police and fire department staff, and others to educate them on the indicators of elder abuse, the resources available to respond to the problem, and how to effectively connect the victimized elder to those resources.

To achieve its primary purpose of assisting elderly victims of crime directly, C&FS has designed and implemented a comprehensive intervention and treatment program that confronts the wide range of issues facing elder victims. The program is a component of C&FS’ Elder Support Services which includes an information and referrals service, a home care program, abuse and protective services funded by the Department of Elderly Affairs (DEA) and DEA case management services, and an Elder Outreach Program available through C&FS’ Counseling Department. In addition to our staff, over l 00 volunteers provide vital services to elders through our Neighborhood Friendly Visitors, Peer Mentors and Telephone Reassurance programs. The goal of all of these programs is to improve quality of life and promote independent living for persons ages sixty and over.

The Elder Services staff collaborates with local police and fire departments, attorneys, physicians, and other agencies to make an accurate assessment of a client’s needs and strengths and establish an appropriate case plan. Service coordination for elder crime victims includes ensuring the elder’s safety and connecting the elder and their families to resources at C&FS and/or in the community to aide in their recovery from victimization.

The Elderly Abuse Program’s second purpose is to strengthen community networks through ongoing outreach and education in efforts to better identify and assist elderly victims of crime. We continue to provide in-service training on elder abuse and the resources available through our Elderly Abuse Program The urgency and importance of the program’s outreach component is reinforced by expert’s estimates that only 1 in 14 incidents of elderly abuse is detected and/or reported, as well as, through the many contacts we have with law enforcement officials, firemen, domestic violence advocates, home care providers, Department of Elderly Affairs staff and many others. All agree that the incidence of elderly abuse is on the rise and yet many victims remain hidden from those available to assist. Through ongoing outreach, education and training, the community network expands and strengthens ensuring a comprehensive response to elderly victims of crime is available in Newport County, Washington County, Bristol Warren and Barrington.

Benefits of the Elderly Abuse Program include:

Elderly crime victims are assessed and connected to services to ensure their safety and to address both the physical and psychological impact of the victimization.

Ongoing client safety is maintained through service coordination, the use of volunteers and collaboration with professionals in the community.

Elderly victims of crime and their families are supported through police investigations and court-related activities, increasing the victims’ willingness to persist in the criminal justice process.

Up to 50 abused and/or neglected elders and their care givers would receive service. Over 600 hours of combined professional/volunteer service projected to be provided.

Continued collaboration and training of police and community professionals result in increased identification and referrals of elderly crime victims through the strengthening of community networks.

C&FS’ Emergency Access System, staffed by trained professionals, offers 24 hour emergency telephone service and provides crisis counseling and referral for elderly crime victims and their families.

What do we do?

Child & Family Services of Newport County is a private, non-profit social service agency providing a comprehensive range of direct services to elder victims of crime.

The agency has demonstrated its effectiveness in the provision of Elder Abuse and Protective Services by its continued designation as the area’s Department of Elder Affairs-funded Case Management agency. The first contract for these services was awarded in 1987. The services C&FS has offered since then have been expanded over time in direct response to the community support received in identifying needs and gaps in services and in support of C&FS role as a focal point for elder services in Newport County.

This year we expect to reach a total of 40 elders. Six new friendly visitors and a new telephone reassurance volunteer were matched with elders. Volunteers are an integral part of the Elder Support Services Program and they serve critical roles in both improving the quality of life and encouraging maximum independence of elders. Currently, there are approximately 90 volunteers who serve over 97 elders. Friendly Visitor Program volunteers averaged 98 home visits and 600 telephone contacts per quarter last year.

C&FS adheres to strict confidentiality standards in all programs. The confidentiality policy is found in the agency’s policy and procedure manual and is an integral component of the orientation for C&FS employees and volunteers. The importance of confidentiality is reinforced through supervision and agency in-services. The funding sources for Elder Support Services Programs include federal state and private monies, thus meeting financial match requirements for VOCA funding.

The services provided to elder victims of crime as outlined in this proposal are provided at no charge to the elders. This ensures access to services regardless of ability to pay.

C&FS through extensive outreach and ongoing advocacy efforts, serves as a voice on behalf of elder victims of crime. The Elder Services Specialist meets with representatives from police and fire departments in Newport County and Washington County. She also provides presentations to increase awareness of elderly victims of crime and the Elderly Abuse Program to hospital staff and community groups. The Elderly Services staff is also an active member of the Newport County Network on Aging, the Tiverton Task Force, the Aging 2000 Community Group. Elder Care Specialist also serves as chairperson of local Key Council. The program’s assistant vice president is a member on the National Council on Aging and the RI Long Term Care Council and the State of Rhode Island Mental Health Task Force. All of the groups identify and address the needs of elders and promote improved coordination of service delivery.

Child and Family Services’ Board of Directors has decided to become a more full community agency by including Bristol county in the area which we serve. We have begun to provide counseling services to the Bristol County area through our new affiliation with Riverwood Rehabilitation. This integration has allowed us office expansion to the Barrington and Bristol county areas. The elderly population of these services areas greatly benefit from the expanded programs.

Information on crime victims’ compensation benefits is provided to all elderly victims of crime and assistance is offered with application forms and procedures. The information is also included in presentations on the Elderly Abuse Program to police and fire departments, hospital staff and community providers as well as to elder residents at senior centers and housing units.

Services are available and offered to victims of both federal and state crimes. They are available to all elders who have been victims of a crime against the person.

Crisis intervention, advocacy, assessment, service coordination counseling, support through the justice system, consultation and referrals, and family support are among the services offered to all identified elder victims of crime. These are in addition to the aforementioned assistance with crime victims compensation forms and procedures.

While this section establishes C&FS eligibility to receive VOCA funding, data provided throughout the following narratives provides additional confirmation of eligibility as outlined in the General Provisions, Section B., of the Application Instructions.

In 1990, C&FS was awarded a grant form the Governor’s Justice Commission to expand the Elderly Abuse Program. This grant allowed us to increase the number of at-risk elders we serve and to expand our services to include court-related services and support services to help resolve issues related to the victimization experience. The VOCA funding allows for intensive direct services to victims and their families by professional staff and volunteers.

In response to a community need for homemaker services for frail, homebound elderly, C&FS created its Home maker/Home Health Aide program which today provides over 22,000 hours of service a year to our area’s frail elderly. From the beginning in 1965, C&FS has continued to respond to the needs of the elderly residents and today we provide a comprehensive array of services to frail and homebound elders. These services include: -Three volunteer programs; Neighborhood Friendly Visitors, Peer Mentors, and Telephone Reassurance which at any given time are providing services to more than 100 of our community’s flail elderly. -Crisis Intervention and Case Management services for abused and self-neglecting elders under a contract with the Department of Elderly Affairs.

Information and Referral through our Elder Access program which provides elders, their caregivers, family members and the lay and professional communities with consultation and referral services.

Approximately 300 Elder Access callers receive information from C&FS’ Elder Service Program staff each year.

Regional case management for in-home services; co-pay, core, and elder care programs under a contract with the Department of Elderly Affairs.

In 1993, C&FS was awarded the Regional Case Management contract from the Department of Elderly Affairs for DEA in-home services.

The cultural make-up of the elderly population served includes African American, Hispanic, Native American and Portuguese families. According to the 1990 census, the ethnic group population of persons 55 and older in Newport County is distributed as follows:

• White 92%
• African American 4%
• Native American .5% -Other 1%

Outreach to minorities occurs through visits to meal sites and senior centers and through networking with organizations in the community with large minority populations to offer information and services. Monthly, Key Council and Network on Aging meetings are attended by representatives of many agencies in Newport County to discuss current cases and to identify needs of minorities and others in the community who would benefit from services.

The Elderly Services Specialist has a Master’s degree in counseling and has worked with the elderly population for 15 years. Her experience includes working in a clinical setting with expertise in assessment, communication, intervention strategies, treatment, and individual and family dynamics regarding aging and death. Her responsibilities include assessment, intervention, treatment, case management and consultation. Community outreach and family support are also priorities.

Our Elderly Services Specialist developed an in-service on elder abuse that includes identification and reporting of elder abuse, resources available for elder abuse victims and information on the Victim of Crime Indemnity Fund. She provides the in-services to agencies providing services to elders and to the community at large as outlined in the Plan of Operation following.

Additional staff time is being requested in this proposal for an staff person to assist the Elderly Services Specialist in scheduling in-services, both providing additional in-services maintaining follow-up contacts throughout Newport County, Washington County, Bristol, Warren and Barrington. With last year’s funding we were unable to achieve our overall goals. We believe the former increase in staff allows us to gain more referrals.

The Assistant Vice President of Elder Services has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Master’s Degree in Public Health Care. The Elder Support Services Program supervisor has a Master’s Degree in social work and is an LICSW. She has over 20 years of social work experience and has worked with the elderly and their families. The assistant vice president and supervisor have overall responsibility for the administration of the elder abuse program and provide both clinical and programmatic supervision to the Elder Services Specialist and the Volunteer Coordinator.

The Volunteer Coordinator is a volunteer herself with many years of volunteer experience in a variety of settings. She brings a wealth of life experience as well as experience in working with the public. She oversees the recruitment, screening and orientation of volunteers to work with the elderly. The Elder Services Specialist provides specialized training and monitoring of volunteers placed with victims of crime. In addition, CHEFS has recently hired a Director of Volunteers who assists in the overseeing of the above duties.

Volunteers who serve as advocates and support systems for the elders as Neighborhood Friendly Visitors, Peer Mentors and Telephone Reassurance Volunteers must have a sincere desire to assist the elderly population. Volunteers receive a comprehensive orientation and ongoing training that includes speakers from local agencies that serve the elderly.

Volunteer responsibilities include establishing trusting relationships with abused clients and helping them develop self-worth, independent thinking and safe choices.

CHEFS is committed to achieving a racial balance among staff that reflects the racial mix of Newport County. Currently, in Elder Support Services, our staff racial/ethnic breakdown is:

• White 25
• Hispanic 1
• Portuguese 3

Whenever possible, clients, volunteers and staff of similar backgrounds are placed together to assist with language, cultural or ethnic barriers and to ease the transition from abuse or self-neglecting victim to an improved quality of life.

When seeking job applicants, we advertise in a variety of newspapers as well as in-house. We also send vacancy notices to schools, the Department of Employment and Training, the Martin Luther King Center, the Governor’s Commission on the Handicapped, New Visions for Newport County, the Rhode Island Indian Council and the Urban League.

Our challenge?

The National Center on Elder Abuse has defined seven different types of elder abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, abandonment, and selfneglect (McDaniel, 1996) The National Center on Elder Abuse reported in 1998 that the most frequent type of elder maltreatment was neglect (48.7%); emotional/psychological abuse was the second most common (35.5%); physical abuse was third (30.2%); financial /material exploitation was fourth (25.6¡/0); and abandonment was the least common (3.6%). The U.S. Dept. of Justice reports that in 1999, the rate of violent crime victimization of persons over the age of 65 was 4 per 1,000 (Rennison, 2000)

The statistics listed above easily quantify of an increasing complex problem for our elderly and our society but additional statistics add a disturbing dimension to the prevalence of elder abuse and victimization. In 1998 the National Elder Abuse Incidence Study reported that adult children compromised the largest category of perpetrators (47.3%); spouses, relatives, and grandchildren rounded out the percentages, respectively. Add to this picture, is the fact that almost half (47.9¡/0) of elders who were abused or neglected were not able to physically care for themselves.

Elder abuse and victimization exists, pervasively and increasingly. As the crime statistics indicate, elders are most often abused and victimized by their family. Of the elders who have been abused or victimized, is it estimated only 21 % are reporting these incidents, while 79¡/o are not (National Center on Elder Abuse, 1998).

As the population of elders increases, so unfortunately will the incidents of abuse and victimization. And as the elder population increases, the incidents of abuse increase and the percentage of elders who do not report their trauma or victimization will correspondingly increase. The need for expanded capacity to provide assessment, intervention and support must be in place.

Abuse and victimization can be deterred and even eradicated when the elder victim calling out for intervention receives help. Supportive services can derail the cycle of violence and thwart the secrecy, denial, or shame around abuse and victimization. The Elder Victim of Crime Program is a significant presence when preceded by police intervention and followed by the strong presence of the Elder Specialist who will assess and attempt to ensure that the elder is victimized no more. Our services offer crisis assessment for immediate need, and ongoing support case management to address issues before there is any escalation or repetition of abuse or victimization.

Meeting the Challenge

Our plan includes continuing to assist elder crime victims with crisis counseling, assessment, service coordination, support through the criminal justice system, consultation and referral, VCIF referrals and personal advocacy. In addition, we provide outreach, formal, comprehensive in-services on elder abuse to providers of elder services and to the community at large to increase recognition of the scope of the elder abuse problem. As a result, a greater number of elders receive direct victim of crime assistance. Following is our plan of action.

DIRECT SERVICE

Local police departments, physicians and/or other community based health and human service agencies call C&FS with reports of crimes committed against the elderly. Crime is defined as assault, rape, sexual assaults, attempted murder or any crime against the person. A crisis interview occurs within 48 hours after a report is received and usually takes place in a client’s home.

A case plan is formulated including identifying a client’s resources and the client’s goals.

With the elder’s consent, specific interventions or services are set up to ensure the attainment of client goals. C&FS may advocate for a safer environment, removal of the perpetrator or victim from the home, coordination of in-home services or alternative housing for the client. Client is referred to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund, if eligible, and assisted with application process.

Client is connected with our volunteer programs to help maintain the client’s independence and assist with meeting client goals. Friendly Visitors, Peer Mentors and Telephone Reassurance volunteers can assist and encourage clients to follow the case plan.

Case management is provided to ensure the quality and consistency of appropriate services and to modify the plan of care as needed. Citrucel treatment may also be provided.

Family support is provided if appropriate to encourage their continued involvement in maintaining the elder in the community.

Case management is terminated after client goals are achieved. However, volunteers may continue ongoing support to the clients.

ACTION PLAN

1. In-service on elder abuse has been developed. Content includes identification of elder abuse, reporting process, resources available for elder abuse victims and information on VCIF and application process.
2. Contacts are made throughout the service delivery areas to schedule in-service dates. Targeted are both service providers and the continuity at large, hospital staff, EMTs, social service agencies, community groups and senior centers.
3. Printed handouts are distributed during in-services containing main points covered during the in-service. Readers are encouraged to contact CHEFS for further information or to refer an elder victim of crime for direct service intervention.
4. Follow-up contacts are made on an ongoing basis with those groups receiving in-services to strengthen the community networks and to reinforce the content of in-service, including C&FS as a resource for elder victims of crime.
5. In-service and follow-up contacts continue throughout the grant year to increase identification of elder abuse and to facilitate an increase in direct service intervention to elder victims of crime.
6. Press releases to promote the scheduled in-service on elder abuse and to increase public awareness of the issue and resources available are submitted to local newspapers.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Goal 1: Gain appropriate referrals to provide up to 40 victims of crime with appropriate crisis intervention, emergency services and support services to maintain their independence in a safe environment.

Objective A: Set up a case plan specific to each victim of crime, including crisis counseling, assessment, information and referral.

How we get there!

ACTIVITIES

1. Assess elders referred as Victims of Crime
2. Formulate a case plan
3. Connect client to appropriate services
4. Utilize volunteers
5. Provide ongoing case management
6. Terminate when client goals are attained
7. Provide written educational/resource material to potential referral sources

Responsible Staff: Elder Services Staff

Completion Date: Ongoing

Objective B. Continue to utilize volunteers from the Neighborhood Friendly Visitor, Peer Mentor, Telephone Reassurance Volunteers programs.

ACTIVITIES

1. 1. Recruit, train and match new volunteers.
2. Supervise and monitor volunteers’ performance to ensure client’s goals are met.
3. Obtain client feedback to monitor client/volunteer relationship.

Responsible Staff: Volunteer Director/Coordinator and Elder Service Specialist

Completion Date: Ongoing

Objective D. Interface with physicians, attorneys, police departments and other community resources to advocate for victims of crime.

ACTIVITIES

1. 1. Communicate regularly one to one and through meetings to advocate for crime victims.
2. 2. Provide consultation to community personnel to improve skills and effectiveness in providing direct services to elder crime victims.

Responsible Staff: Elder Services Specialist/p>

Completion Date: Ongoing

Goal 2: Ensure that staff are well trained and qualified to provide services to crime victims.

Objectives A. Attend conferences specific to working with crime victims and related topics, including the Governor’s Justice Commission training and DEA training on elder abuse issues.

ACTIVITIES

1. The Elder Services Specialist and Volunteer Coordinator meets regularly with the Assistant Vice President regarding the implementation of victims of crime cases.
2. The Elder Services Specialist consults with professionals in the community as needed.
3. The Elder Services Specialist and/or the Volunteer Coordinators consult with CHEFS staff with expertise in specialty areas, i.e. substance abuse, depression, nursing, as needed.

Responsible Staff: Elder Services Specialist

Volunteer Coordinator

Completion Date: Ongoing

Goal 3: In-services on elder abuse is conducted in each of the communities in Newport County (Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton, Jamestown). In-services is held at a central location in South County (Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Narragansett, North Kingstown, Richmond, South Kingston and Westerly).

Objective A: Strengthen our relationship with the community networks in the communities listed above to facilitate an increase in referrals to Elder Victim of Crime Services. ACTIVITIES

1. Letters and telephone contacts to targeted agencies to schedule in-services.
2. Press releases promoting awareness of elder abuse issues and attendance at in-services.
3. In-services to be provided.
4. Handouts to be distributed at in-services.
5. Follow-up contact to be made on an ongoing basis with each group receiving in-service

Responsible Staff: Elder Services Staff and/or Outreach Worker

Completion Date: Ongoing

For More Information Contact: James P. Nyberg, Director of Elder Services Child & Family Services of Newport 24 School Street Newport, Rhode Island 02840 Telephone: (401) 848-4120 E-Mail mailto:jnyberg@cfsnewport.org