Description
        Committees
        Membership/Joining
        Accomplishments
        Annual Award Winners

Mission

The Consortium Against Adult Abuse is a network of over 80 concerned individuals and organizations whose mission is to facilitate the identification, prevention and treatment of abuse, neglect and exploitation of elderly and vulnerable adults in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina Counties. The Consortium has been an important association in the fight against senior and adult abuse since 1979. There have been many notable achievements in the areas of community education, advocacy, policy development and programming. The Consortium is under the auspices of the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging.

An Executive Board of 19 members representing all 5 counties governs the Consortium. There are five active committees, all of which welcome volunteers.

Committees

The committees and their purposes are:

Clinical Practice:

Develop "best practices" in emerging areas; facilitate the development of support groups for elderly and vulnerable abused adults; facilitate the development, evaluation and dissemination of clinical protocols between service systems; become a repository for clinical protocols.

Social Policy Committee:

Monitor, evaluate, develop positions on and initiate as appropriate, legislation and proposed administrative changes; foster linkages with other advocacy organizations; educate legislators. Specifically focus on APS laws, exploitation legislation, and proposal to administratively move APS to the Ohio Department of Aging.

Community Education and Awareness Committee:

      Collaborate with the State Attorney General's office regarding financial exploitation; conduct outreach to minority and ethnic consumer groups; oversee the Speakers' Bureau, development of brochures, the "Link" (Consortium newsletter), and the web page. Continue the focus on senior awareness of domestic violence.

Conference Committee

      Plan and implement the annual regional conference and annual meeting.

Membership

Membership in the Consortium is free. Joining the Consortium, however, means that the individual or organizations agree to work to develop and maintain an effective regional response system for meeting the needs of older and vulnerable adults, who suffer from or are at risk for abuse, neglect or exploitation. Members agree to

      1. Support the mission and goals of the Consortium.

      2. Serve, when possible, on a committee, subcommittee or as an officer.

      3. Assist with efforts to support legislation and/or administrative changes.

Individual membership, for those not affiliated with a member organization.

      a. Sign Membership Agreement

      b. Membership is good for 2 years beginning in June at the annual meeting

      c. Receive the semi-annual newsletter

      d. Receive reduced Annual Conference registration fee

      e. Get free membership

Organizational Membership.

      a. All staff may attend any conference or educational programs, including the annual conference at a reduced rate

      b. All organizations and their services will be listed in a new membership directory to be distributed in the 5-county area

      c. Receive a membership certificate suitable for framing.

      d. Free membership

      e. Appoint one employee to be a liaison to the Consortium. The liaison will be responsible for informing your organization about the Consortium's activities.

To join: send a request for membership materials to: Susan Schwarzwald, Director, Program Developmetn and Planning at WRAAA, via email shs10a@hotmail.com. Or via fax: 216-621-9262.

History and Accomplishments

Protective Services Consortium

Historical Review

1978      First research specifically on elder abuse (Chronic Illness Center) Recommendations of the FILS report (Federation for Community Planning) Implications of a study on the implementation of the Guardianship Law in Ohio (Benjamin Rose Institute)

1979      Council on Older Persons

      Established the mechanism for social policy reform

      Guardianship Law Reform Task Force

      Advocated for reform of Ohio's Guardianship Law and the need for less restrictive legal alternatives.

1980-81 Adult Protective Services Legislation Committee

Drafted and advocated for the enactment of Ohio's Protective Services Law for Adults

1982      Elder Abuse Project

Developed recommendations for addressing elder abuse locally and provided community education on the new law

1983      Transition Task Force

Formulated a structure for implementing the recommendations and further assessed service needs

1984-1986      Protective Services Consortium for Older Adults in Cuyahoga County

Consortium formed through a Gannett Foundation grant. Provides a community-wide forum for addressing the protective needs of older adults in a comprehensive and coordinated manner

      Governor's Task force on Family Violence

Three Year Work Plan on Adult Services (Ohio DHS)

Ohio Adult Protective Services Coalition

Consultation in the development of Adult Services Department (Cuyahoga County DHS)

Operating procedures adopted

1986-1988      St. Vincent Charity Hospital and Cuyahoga County DHS become joint sponsors

Development of the volunteer Guardianship Program

Advisors to St. Vincent Charity Hospital Emergency Assessment Program.

1989-1993      Protective Services Consortium or Older Adults

Consortium comes under auspices of the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging and expands membership to include representatives from the five counties served by WRAAA. Name changed. Adult Protective Services line item established in Ohio Biennium Budget for first time Operating procedures revised

Sponsored research into: Organizational Barriers to Implementing the Adult Protective Services Legislation.

1994      Western Reserve Consortium for the Prevention and Treatment of Elder Abuse

Planning Retreat

Name changed

New mission, goals, objectives and operating procedures implemented.

New committee structure instituted

Publication of The Senior Service Provider's Guide to Elder Abuse: A Self-Study Training Manual for Para-professionals. by Georgia J. Anetzberger, Ph.D. and Shantha Balaswamy, Ph.D.

1995      Dialogue Series on Ethics and Elder Abuse begun Operating Procedures revised

1996      Developed "Professional Screening Tool/Worksheet for At-Risk Adults

Created new brochure

Instituted new membership format

Reinstituted Newsletter

1997      Assembled the Greater Cleveland Elder Abuse/Domestic Violence Roundtable

1997-98 Participated in the development of the project, "A Model Intervention for Elder Abuse and Dementia". It was funded by the Cleveland Foundation, led by Benjamin Rose Institute and involved Cleveland Alzheimer's Association, Adult Protective Services of Cuyahoga County DSAS, Office of Geriatrics/Gerontology at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.

1999      Strategic Planning Retreat

Name change:      Consortium Against Adult Abuse

New Mission and New Vision Developed

**************************************************************************************************** Regional conferences:

      1990       Controversial Issues in Adult Protective Services

      1991      What Works: Effective Community-based Strategies in Adult Protection

      1992      Creating a Safety Net: A Hospital/Community Partnership

1994      How to Recognize and Assist the Older Person with Memory Loss and Confusion

1995      Maximizing the Adult Protective Services Law

1996      Caregiver Distress and Burden: Do Race and Gender Matter?

1996      Elder Abuse and Domestic Violence: Lessons and Response

1997      Financial Exploitation of the Elderly: A National Scandal

1997      Elder Abuse and Domestic Violence: Integrating for Policy and Practice

1998      Elder Abuse and Dementia: Creating Model

Interventions for Interfacing Problems

1999      Elder Abuse in Ethnically Diverse Populations

Recognitions Awards

1989      Adult Protective Services Legislation Committee of the Federation for Community Planning

1990      Elizabeth Lau

1991      Carolyn Sugiuchi

1992      Wilma Sevcik

1994      Debbie Bookin

            Special Award: Georgia Anetzberger

1996      Sue Turton

1997      Carol Dayton

1998      Kamla Nagpaul

1999      Luz Molina

2000      Clinical Practice Committee