VIP Launches LA County's First Elder Abuse Forensic Center

The California Department of Social Services estimates that there are 40,000 cases of elder abuse in Los Angeles County each year, but research indicates that this number could be up to five times higher if unreported cases are considered. The reported types of abuse are equally divided among neglect, fiduciary abuse, psychological abuse and physical abuse, according to Los Angeles County's Adult Protective Services (APS).

When VIP partnered with APS and LAC+USC Medical Center more than six years ago to address this urgent need by forming the Adult Protection Team (APT), the goal was to provide wrap-around medical and social services to elderly victims of abuse. Now, with a generous two-year grant of $374,834 from the Archstone Foundation, these services will expand to create the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center. The Forensic Center will engage multiple county and community-based agencies in an effort to increase prosecution rates against perpetrators, and to increase the capacity and availability of services to elderly victims.

The Forensic Center will allow representatives from agencies such as APS, the District Attorney, City Attorney, Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and others to come together one day a week and work under the same roof in order to determine the best course of action for cases of elder or dependent adult abuse. The Forensic Center, currently in the planning phase, will be housed in newly renovated space and is expected to be operational in April 2006.

"Elder abuse is a crime without boundaries, crossing all racial, social, class, gender and geographic lines. As the older adult population in California continues to increase, it is anticipated that the rate of elder abuse will also increase," said Joseph F. Prevratil, President and CEO of the Archstone Foundation. "To respond to this growing need, the Archstone Foundation has committed $8 million over five years for the Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative. The goal of the Initiative is to improve the quality and coordination of elder abuse and neglect services in the State of California."

Under the leadership of APT Medical Director Diana C. Schneider, M.D. and Astrid Heppenstall Heger, M.D., the innovative Forensic Center will be only the second such center in the country, the first being located in Orange County. By 2030, Los Angeles County's elderly population will double from ten to twenty percent of the total population, reaching a total of approximately 2,365,456 persons. The Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center will undoubtedly meet the challenge of ensuring fair treatment to all seniors in the years to come.