National Institute of Justice Awards Funding to Study Elder Abuse

WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) awarded nearly $800,000 to the Urban Institute and the University of Southern California to develop and test prevention programs addressing elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The awards, which were also supported by DOJ’s Elder Justice Initiative, underscore NIJ’s work to identify evidence-based solutions to elder mistreatment and evaluate their effectiveness in prevention, detection and intervention. The awards establish an initial planning phase for an Elder Abuse Prevention Demonstration Project. Following the planning phase, NIJ will fund multi-year demonstration evaluations.

“There is no age limit on victimization,” said NIJ Director Nancy Rodriguez. “These awards are another step toward enabling evidence-based approaches to protect our elderly from abuse and neglect, while also holding accountable those who exploit and victimize our seniors.”

The Urban Institute was awarded $399,970 to design and implement an elder abuse prevention pilot project with at-risk adults 60 and older in Maricopa County, Ariz. This 18-month study will result in a published manual, including information for implementing and replicating the program in other locations. Following completion, the institute will perform a multi-year demonstration of the program.

The University of Southern California was awarded $400,000 to develop an innovative elder mistreatment intervention based upon lessons learned from preventing other forms of family violence, such as child maltreatment and intimate partner violence. The award will support the first phase of a three-part project led by the university in partnership with health professionals and stakeholders. Adults 65 and older will have the opportunity to take part in the first phase. Following completion, the university will perform a multi-year demonstration of the program.

More information on NIJ’s elder abuse projects is located here: http://nij.gov/topics/crime/elder-abuse/Pages/welcome.aspx

More information on DOJ’s Elder Justice Initiative can be found at www.elderjustice.gov.